The Wolf and the Lion?
by feral-kuga
Summary: When a sleep-deprived girl with a secret falls face-first into her television, she wakes up to find herself in FF8! What happens when her secret is revealed? Will she be able to fulfill her dream of becoming a SeeD? SquallxOC. ON HIATUS
1. Prologue One Month before the Exam

The Wolf and the Lion?

_**Disclaimer**__: I do NOT own Final Fantasy VIII or the characters, locations, or monsters. I only own my characters, and some of the things that the FF8 characters do. FF8 and all related items/creatures/people belong to Square Soft._

_**Warning:**__ I am only describing the character's appearances, not the monsters. If you don't know, too bad! Look them up!_

Prologue: One Month before the Exam

Before this story begins, almost a full month before, a girl lay panting and naked in the pre-dawn light. The ally she was in gave her a shield from the early morning crowd that walked the streets and the cars that honked at anything that stopped them from getting to the meeting they had to get to. The only people that knew she was there was those from her "pack."

She got up, her touch sensitive skin aching from the slightest touch, even if it was just a blanket. She squeezed her silver eyes shut as she tried to overcome the pain. As she slowly stretched, her muscles protested and locked up in pain. Even her bones ached. That was a definite downside to being virtually immortal. Every full moon, she changed, and every bone, muscle, tendon, and ligament hurt. Actually, scratch that. Every cell in her body hurt. Every movement made her want to either whimper or cry out in pain.

Once her body stopped aching enough to actually allow her to touch things without pain, she grabbed her clothes that were stashed in an old backpack that no one would pay any attention to and put them on. Her outfit consisted of a denim miniskirt, knee-high boots, elbow length gloves, and a light grey tank top with a black leather jacket. The back of the jacket had a wolf head, and she had a matching necklace pendant. She put her waist length auburn hair in a quick, but neat, ponytail as she slipped on her shoes and walked out of the ally.

As the light from the street lamps shone on her face, she was seen to be no older than 17, maybe as young as 15. In fact, she was the youngest member of her pack, the oldest being around 300 years old. That's not surprising considering that every member of the pack was virtually immortal. The only way they could die was in combat, or by getting shot with a silver bullet right in the heart.

She walked with purpose, and although she was young, no one gave her a second glance. She walked right to the apartment she shared with the third in command. He was the one who found her in the ally, close to death, and somehow pulling through, but just barely.

Once she got in the apartment, she went to the kitchen and grabbed a slice of cold pizza from the fridge, then went into the nicely furnished living room. The widescreen television was hooked up to a blue-ray player and a PS3. She turned on the PS3 and the TV, grabbed the controller, then plopped down in the blue Lay-Z-Boy rocker she had begged the third in command to buy for her. The pack wasn't in financial distress like many other packs were, not to mention the rest of the world.

She started to eat the pizza as the beginning credits of Final Fantasy VIII started. She didn't start the game right away, unlike many people would. Instead, she took that time to eat both pieces of pizza before she played the game. She was trying to get to FH to get back Ifrit's card and get the Moomba doll so the artisan would help the sculptor finish the Laguna Statue in the Shumi Village side quest. And, even though she wanted to finish the side quest, she paused the game and jumped up when the third in command came in. The third was a tall, muscular man with kind hazel eyes and a gentle smile. His skin was a bronze color, tanned from years of living in the southern states of the US. His hair was black, and about shoulder length.

"Hey! Tom, you're home!" the girl ran up to the tall man and gave him a big hug.

"Hey there, kiddo!" He ruffled the girl's hair with his hand. "How was your night?"

"I'm not a kid, I'm a teenager," the auburn haired girl said indignantly, brushing the man's hand off of her head. "And, my night was long. It's no fun hunting mice, rats, cats, and other small rodents. This city doesn't give me the satisfaction of hunting in the woods. Remember, a few years ago, when you took me out?"

Tom chuckled. "To me, you're no older than a pup. Yes, I remember. I specifically remember you trying to take down a turkey and getting pecked multiple times on the head." He continued to chuckle, smiling. The girl giggled, putting her hand to her mouth, a habit she had started when she was a young child, before the attack. When she starts to giggle, or chuckle, she would hide it behind her hand. However, whenever she laughed, an actual laugh, she threw her head back, not bothering to cover it.

"Yeah, I got pecked. So what? I had fun taking that stupid bird down. Besides, he didn't break skin, thanks to my thick, luscious fur!" the girl giggled.

"Yeah, with a bit of help," Tom chuckled.

"I got the last hit in, though," she taunted.

"Only because I knew you would want to." The man ruffled the girl's hair again. "Now, why don't you get back to your game while I grab me something to eat?" The girl giggled, nodding in agreement, gave the tall man a hug around his waist, then ran back to her chair and continued on her side quest.

The tanned man watched her beat Martine so badly at cards, he probably had a scar. She got back her card, then she ran to the grease monkey and somehow got the Moomba doll from him. Then, the girl went back to the garden, and guided it back to the Shumi Village.

He smiled to himself as he scrounged around in the fridge for something that appealed to him. He wanted something with veggies, considering he had just had a bunch of raw meat. Tom settled for a salad with carrots, raw green beans, and tomatoes with a drizzle of Italian dressing.

Tom walked back into the living room and watched the auburn girl with the silver eyes play her game. He loved her, but not as a mate. He was protective of the young girl, and seeing as he cared for her for almost 9 years, he didn't feel any attraction to her. Well, that's not true. She was like a daughter to him.

Tom also knew that the girl felt the same way, she saw him as a father, and since her dad died when she was young and her mom didn't want her, she was thrown onto the streets, where, when she was almost 7, she was attacked and changed. He found the girl a few hours after the attack and he had been caring for her ever since.

The girl finished her side quest. Her face broke out into a wide smile, and she nearly threw the controller and started jumping around. Her guardian grinned at her enthusiasm. In some ways, the girl was a lot like Zell. She tended to let her emotions take over, and she was really hyper. In others, she was like Squall; she was not one to get close to many people. It had taken the girl many years to warm up to Tom.

She was also one to not listen to orders often, and she could be bossy. But, she did listen to most orders, and she tried to keep the bossiness down. She was a remarkable girl, with many quirks. Tom just didn't want her to leave. He felt he had to keep her safe; he had to keep watching over her. He didn't want to have her decide that she would be better off in another pack. He didn't want his little girl to leave him…

At the same time, in a different world, a boy of about 17 with messy brown hair and stormy blue eyes was sitting at a desk by himself in a classroom located on the top floor of the Garden, going through his study panel built into the desk. He wore a white shirt with a black leather jacket with a white ruff and a lion headed pendant. His dark pants had multiple belts hanging off of them. He also wore dark boots.

The other students in the class were standing around until the instructor came in. The boy ignored them, as he had been doing since he came to the Garden, many years ago. He'd been here since he was a young boy, probably no more than 6. He didn't let anyone get close to him, he didn't want to lose anyone he cared about, like he did before he came to the Garden. That was a pain he didn't want to experience again.

As the instructor came in, the boy sitting across the aisle from the brown haired boy threw a piece of balled-up paper at the brown haired boy's head. It hit its mark, but the brown haired boy didn't flinch. He just grabbed the paper, and unwrinkled it. Inside was a little note.

_Meet me outside the garden after lunch. Bring your gunblade. Unless you are to chicken to… No magic, just the gunblades. ~Seifer~_

The brown haired boy glared at the boy who threw the paper. He was blonde; his hair was slicked back except for a few strands that resisted taming, just like the boy who threw the note. He wore a light grey overcoat that went down to about his calves. On each sleeve of the overcoat was a red cross. Underneath the overcoat, the blonde boy wore a dark shirt and pants with black boots. Around his neck, the boy wore a silver necklace with some sort of pendant on it.

The blonde boy, Seifer, smirked at the brown haired boy. Seifer knew the brown haired boy sitting across the aisle wouldn't, no, couldn't pass up the challenge. He wouldn't run away and be seen as weak.

The brown haired boy glared at Seifer one last time before turning his attention back to the instructor, who was reminding the class that if they hadn't taken the written exam, they should do so today. The field exam wasn't too far off. The class for today would be used to take the written exam for those who hadn't taken it yet. The rest of the class had the day off. Then she read the names of the students who could leave off of the clipboard she was holding. Both Seifer and the boy sitting across from him were given the clear, and Seifer stood up.

Seifer walked out before the instructor had finished reading the list. She stopped long enough to put her hand to her forehead and shake her head. 'He'll be expelled if he doesn't straighten up his act. He doesn't listen to me. Actually…' "he doesn't listen to anybody." That last part the instructor muttered under her breath.

The brown haired boy stayed in his seat until the list had been called out and the students had been given the clear to leave the room.

"Allen! Get back in your seat! You are going to take this test!" the instructor suddenly exclaimed, crossing her arms. The kid who was called out walked back to his seat sheepishly. "Mary, Jordan, both of you sit back down!" The girls called out also walked back to the seat they shared. There were two study panels in each desk, so there were able to be two sitting at the same desk.

The boy looked back and sighed. 'People tried to take the easy way out, but the only way that actually got to anywhere was the hard way.' He walked out of the room and down to the elevator. He pushed the floor 1 button, then got on the elevator and walked to his dorm, at the north end of the garden.

He got off the raised circular stand that held the elevator, then turned and walked along the circular main path to the back of the garden, straight to the dorms to grab his gunblade. Once he had his gunblade in its sheath and on his hip, he walked into the cafeteria to grab something to eat before he went outside to meet Seifer outside…

Outside the Garden, the boy saw where Seifer wanted to meet. How could he not? It was right above the Fire Cavern. The blonde boy stood at the edge, looking right at the brown haired boy. The boy outside the Garden's front gate rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming. But, he still went to meet Seifer's challenge head on.

He climbed the Cavern's side, reaching the top in minutes. Seifer smirked as the boy climbed the last ledge.

"He he, I didn't think you would come. Don't you have a class to get to later?" Seifer questioned, his voice smug.

"Oh, shut up," the boy said. "If I recall, it was you who told me to come."

"I didn't tell you to come, I simply asked for you to meet me here," Seifer replied, his voice innocent. A smirk formed on his face, which proved he was baiting the other boy. The brown haired boy raised an eyebrow, placing a hand on the hilt of Revolver, his gunblade. Seifer followed suit, grasping his gunblade's hilt. They stared each other down, circling, as they both drew their blades. The two blade masters eyed each other, waiting for the other to make a move. It was Seifer who took the first move. He ran at the other boy, his blade held out to his side, dragging the tip along the ground. The blade sparked as it ran along the ground.

The brown haired boy quickly jumped to the side as Seifer swung his blade up, right where the other boy had been just a moment before. The boy quickly retaliated by swinging Revolver at Seifer's legs, missing by the breadth of a wire. The blonde jumped back, then jumped high into the air, bringing his blade back behind his head then swinging it down with all the force he could muster. The other boy quickly rolled back. Once he was back on his feet, he ran at Seifer, slashing at him.

Seifer dodged to the side and retaliated by swinging his gunblade at the other boy, who caught the blonde's blade on the flat of his own blade. Seifer pushed against the other boy's blade. Both boys were putting their whole weight against the other's blade, hoping to push one or the other back. The blonde was pushed back a few inches, who pushed back harder. The other boy was pushed back the same amount, but they were at a virtual standstill. The boys were almost equal in strength.

Thus, the boys pushed back against the other's blade one last time before they pulled apart, blades sliding against the other. The boys circled each other again, breathing heavy and judging each other's strength, although it wasn't really necessary. The brown haired boy made the first move this time, slashing at Seifer's sword arm. Seifer dodged it, sliding to the right. The other boy quickly adjusted his body so that the slash was still aimed at the blonde. Seifer was about to retaliate when a member of the Garden Faculty stepped between the two boys.

The guy was wearing a long sleeved white shirt that hid his hands, a red dress looking thing that had thick straps of the same color holding up the dress. On his head, he wore a yellow hat that was round and hid his face.

"You two are supposed to be in class, not sparring. Get back to the Garden before I decide to tell the Headmaster," he said. The boys sheathed their gunblades and walked back to the Garden, which wasn't too far away, Seifer was fuming at having his duel cut short. The other boy was expressionless.


	2. Chapter One: a few days before the exam

Chapter One: One Month Later; Just Before the Exam

_The first part of the chapter changes point of view often, going from Tom's to the girl's POV. Also, please keep in mind that I don't remember the exact exchange between Dr. Kadowaki and Squall, so I made up some stuff. And, some of the other stuff that happens later might be different, considering I don't remember it exactly… Please note I put the Fire Cavern thing before when it actually happened. That's for a reason, as you will find out. I don't own FF8 or the characters, storyline, places, creatures, items, etc. I only own my characters and the events that didn't happen in the game. R&R please!_

Tom looked in the living room, hearing the familiar sounds of Final Fantasy VIII. He smiled as he saw Sylvia asleep in her blue Lay-Z-Boy, the controller on her lap. The TV showed Squall, Selphie, and Quistis on the White SeeD Ship, right in front of Watts and Zone. The TV was turned down really low; a normal human couldn't have heard it from his spot. That's one good thing about being a werewolf; you had great hearing and a sense of smell, plus the super strength. In fact, if the wolf were trained right, he or she could even smell when a person was lying.

The older wolf looked at the clock above the TV. It read 8:27. Tom chuckled lightly. Sylvia would normally be up by now; she must have been playing the game all night. He walked over to his little girl, surprisingly quiet for a person his size. Tom stood over the 15 year old, watching her face as she slept. Finally, he sighed softly, then shook the auburn haired girl.

I started at the touch, and jumped out of my chair while spinning around to face the "enemy." When I jumped up, I accidentally dropped the PS3controller on the floor. It landed with a soft 'thud' on the plush, cream colored carpet. I took a minute to observe the room, it took me even longer to realize that there was no enemy. So, I took the time to stretch and yawn.

"M-m-morning," I said, yawning. "What time is… Oh…" I looked at the clock, seeing it just change to 8:30. "Man, is it that late already?" Tom chuckled.

"How late did you stay up? It must have been pretty late for you to be up so late," the tall man said.

"Um…last I remember…it was about…three?" I yawned. "Add that to the fact that last night we had to go to that stu…er…pack meeting; of course I'm tired…" I yawned again. "Hey, do you have anything for me to eat? I'm hungry."

"Yeah, I made eggs and toast." Tom went into the kitchen to grab the plate of food he saved for Sylvia, as well as a glass of orange juice. When he came back in the room, he saw his little girl sitting back in her chair, playing her game.

"Hey, weren't you just saying you were hungry?" Tom teased. "Ah, well, guess it's all mine." He started to walk back into the kitchen with MY breakfast. I paused my game real quick, then jumped onto the back of my chair, aimed, and jumped right on Tom's back. "Oof!"

"Not so fast, mister tough guy. That's my food, and if you don't hand it over… Well, let's just say that you want to hand it over," I said, smiling evilly.

"Oh, whatever shall I do? Ah, well, guess I have no choice but to hand it over…" and with that, the big, tough Tom submitted to my request, giving me the food. And I jumped nimbly from his back, not spilling any food.

The brown haired boy with the black leather jacket and the lion head pendant woke up in the infirmary, a pounding headache made itself evident when he tried to open his eyes. He put his arm over his eyes to block out the light while he tried to remember what happened, why he was in the infirmary.

He remembered a storm, and… Seifer. They were… above the Fire Cavern? His gunblade… was flying through the air. Seifer was…casting fire, even though he had said no magic. Seifer then… what did he do? Oh, Seifer ran up to him, even though his weapon was out of reach. Or was it? The pounding in his head was making it hard to think… Um, he had been blown back, and didn't have enough time to block. Seifer…cut him on the nose, from just above his eyebrow to just under his other eye. He watched the blood, his blood spatter across the ground. He gripped Revolver tightly, then rushed at Seifer, giving him the exact same cut, but shallower.

"I see you're finally awake," a voice said from the door of the room he was in. The boy looked up, moving his arm slightly to get a look at the speaker. It was a woman, wearing a white lab coat. Her hair was tied up, and her face was kind.

"Seems like your eyes are focusing. That's good. Can you tell me your name?" the doctor asked.

The boy thought for a moment before replying "Squall."

"Ok, how do you feel?"

Again, he thought for a moment before replying "My head hurts."

"I understand why. Next time, take it easy during training. You might not be so lucky next time." Dr. Kadowaki scolded.

"Tell that to Seifer," Squall shot back. That made the doctor sigh.

"That Seifer, won't listen to anybody. Anyway, your instructor is… Ah, Quistis Trepe. I'll call her right now." And with that, the doctor walked out of the small room Squall was in. soon after, the sound of a telephone dialing could be heard. Squall didn't really pay attention, he was trying to keep his head from pounding so hard.

"Quistis? Come pick up your student."

…

"Yes, he's fine. Nothing serious."

…

"It'll probably leave a scar."

…

"Yes, yes. Just come pick him up." Then there was no more.

'So, I'll probably have a scar. At least I wasn't brained,' Squall thought. 'Hope I gave Seifer a scar as well.'

Suddenly, he heard soft footsteps. They didn't come into the room, rather, they went to the observation window on Squall's right side. He turned his head to the window, and saw that the owner of the foot falls was a woman, slender build, dark hair, with a blue shirt, white skirt, and a green shawl. The woman bent down, putting her hands on her knees and looked S quall right in the eye.

"So, Squall, we meet again." Then she left, leaving the confused teen with one question: 'Do I know her?'

He was brought out of his thoughts by considerably louder footsteps, belonging to Quistis, his instructor. She wore the SeeD outfit, navy blue jacket with a collar with an intricate design of golds, whites, and other colors. She wore a skirt of the same color as the jacket. She had black, almost knee-high boots, and her blonde hair was tied up in a bun with two strands framing her face. She also had on a pair of reading glasses.

She took one look at the young man lying on the bed with his arm over his face, and sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I knew it would be either you or Seifer. Come on, class is going to start soon."

Squall carefully got up, so as to not agitate his head. He also took off the bandage, tossing it aside. Then he followed his instructor to the classroom.

I was still playing my game, but I knew I was almost finished, seeing as I had the official game strategy guide. I always tried to work out some of the problems myself, but I'm not a logical thinker, so I ended up relying heavily on the book. It was around 11:30 at night, and I just couldn't put down the controller. Eventually, I couldn't think straight, so I found a save point, saved the game, and shut it off.

I was looking forward to sleeping on my own bed. I was just lying down in the soft bed when my sensitive hearing picked up the sound of the final fantasy music. And the scent of fresh, slightly salty air? I sighed and pulled myself out of the soft bed beckoning to me and padded back into the living room.

The TV was on, showing Balamb, Balamb Garden, and the Fire Cavern. This was way back at the beginning of the game, the Garden wasn't mobile yet. Why was this showing?

I noticed faintly the scent of salty air was coming from the TV. I was pretty tired, I might have fallen asleep as soon as I hit the pillow and this was all a dream. I did the only thing that came to mind, and that was to pinch myself. I did, yelped and opened my eyes, for I had closed them before I pinched myself. The TV still showed the same picture, or rather, scene; the grass and trees were moving, as were the clouds.

I leaned in, trying to see if there were people, when a bite bug flew across the screen. It was life-sized, not the puny thing that it seemed to be in the game, and ugly. I slapped my hands to my mouth to stop the scream that threatened to break out. I started to feel faint, and the last thing I remembered seeing was the TV screen coming to meet my face.

Squall and Instructor Trepe, who was wearing a salmon-pinkish dress with a belt and her boots, were heading to the Fire Cavern to pass the prerequisite when the young man saw something that made him freeze. It had appeared as if a…a girl had just appeared out of thin air. He grabbed his instructor's arm, forcing her to stop as well.

"Squall, don't you want to take the field ex…am?" she started, but then saw what her student was looking at. "Oh shit! We have to help her!" The instructor ran toward the girl, as she had caught the attention of a Glacial Eye.

Squall sighed, putting his hand on his hip for a moment before joining his instructor. He drew his blade and sliced at the ice monster before it got close to the two ladies. He quickly dispatched it with a few well placed slices. Then Squall headed over to his instructor and the mysterious girl.

The girl was young, no more than 17, but older than 14. She had waist-length auburn hair, a natural color, not dyed. She had a slim build, no fat at all. She looked like she would be one of those people who would start a fight if what she believed in was threatened without a thought. She also looked like she would give that boy…Dincht…Zell, a run for his money. She looked she fought to survive, and would resort to violence if she was threatened.

Squall took her pulse, and she felt a bit warm. Her face was pale, like she fainted. Squall picked her up, putting one arm under her knees; the other was just below her neck. She was heavier than the young man expected. He looked at Quistis, who took her whip into her hand so she would be ready to attack as they quickly made their way back to the Garden.

Quistis went to get the Headmaster while Squall brought the warm, pale, beautiful girl to the infirmary. Dr. Kadowaki looked up and saw Squall. She was about to tell him off when she saw the young teen in his arms. Her hands went right up to her mouth. Then the doctor went from shocked to doctor mode.

She led the young man to the same room that he himself was in not too long ago. He laid her out on the cot. Once he was sure that she was in no immediate danger, Squall went to stand in the corner of the room, watching the doctor treat the girl. Dr. Kadowaki took the girl's temperature and blood pressure, then did a pupil check. Her temperature was a little higher than normal, but everything else was fine. Her pupils dilated and contracted when the light was shown on them, and the blood pressure was normal for a girl this size and weight.

The Headmaster came in with Quistis trailing behind him. Both of the new comers looked at Squall, standing in the empty corner, then at Dr. Kadowaki and her patient. Quistis went to the side of the bed that wasn't occupied by the doctor and all of her utensils and machines that she kept nearby when checking over a patient. The young instructor knelt by the young girl, grasping the girl's hand in her own. And, ever since Squall picked up the girl, no one had said a thing. The first to say anything was the Headmaster.

"So, Quistis told me that you found a young girl on the plains. Would anyone like to clarify this?" Cid asked. He mainly looked at Squall, who sighed, putting his hand on his hip and thinking what to say.

Squall quickly told the headmaster the short form of what happened. 'Let Quistis deal with the details,' he thought.

"Hmm, I see…" Cid said. He started pacing, thinking over this new information.

"Dr. Kadowaki?" Quistis asked. "Will she be alright?" The doctor smiled.

"Yes she will. She just fainted from exhaustion. After a bit of rest, she'll be good as new." Quistis sighed in relief. "I suggest you go, she's in good hands. I'll call you if there are any changes. Especially if she wakes up." Dr. Kadowaki smiled reassuringly.

"Ok, thank you, Dr. Kadowaki," Cid said. Quistis gave the doctor a hug. Squall nodded. Since he finished telling the Headmaster how they found the girl, he hadn't taken his eyes off of her. There was something about her that intrigued him, although he would never admit it.

I woke up, but kept my eyes closed. I listened to the other person in the room shuffling the papers on the desk… Wait… I didn't have a desk in my room, nor in the living room. The only place there was a desk was at the back of the house, and I wouldn't hear paper shuffling, even with werewolf hearing.

I slowly opened my eyes. The ceiling was white tile, like at my school. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw an observation window, and a window looking into the room next door. There was a shaft of sunlight on the blankets, right on my legs. There must be a window above my bed.

I decided to get up. I felt stiff, like I always do before the full moon. It gets worse the closer the full moon is. It usually starts around the week before the full moon.

So I got up and stretched, and only when the person at the desk came in did I realize I knew exactly where I was. Well, not the exact position, but I knew I was in Balamb Garden. Dr. Kadowaki came in to check on me, and looked startled when she saw me up and stretching my tight muscles.

"I see you're up. Guess I need to call Cid and Quistis…" Dr. Kadowaki trailed off. "What's your name?"

"Um… Sylvia, but my friends call me Sylva or Siva," I said.

"Ok. Hold on, let me make a phone call, then I'll get you your clothes." The doctor walked out of the room to call the headmaster and instructor. I walked around a bit, but stayed near a chair or bed, in case I had to sit down.

"Headmaster?"

…

"Yes, she's awake."

…

"No, she's walking around the room."

…

"Ok. Understood." She hung up the phone only to call the second floor class to talk to Quistis.

"Quistis? This is Dr. Kadowaki."

…

"Actually, she's up. She's walking around her room right now."

…

"Yes, you can bring Squall with you." My heart skipped a beat. Squall Leonhart? Is coming to see me? I must be dreaming.

…

"No, the temperature hasn't gone down." I gulped a bit. I always had a temperature because I'm a werewolf, but I could hardly tell that to Dr. Kadowaki, or anyone else.

…

"Yes, Cid is on his way."

…

"Ok." Then she hung up the phone. She went into the observation room, then came out with my clothes.

"Here, I washed them up for you." Dr. Kadowaki handed them to me, then pulled the curtain shut to give me some privacy.

"Um, excuse me…" I almost said the doctor's name. That would have been suspicious… I have to watch myself.

"Oh, I'm Dr. Kadowaki, Doctor in charge of the infirmary in Balamb Garden."

"Oh, Dr. Kadowaki? Do you have any food? I'm hungry…" I said as I pulled on my denim miniskirt. I put my thigh-high boots on next, then my light grey shirt, my leather jacket, and my elbow-length gloves. Then I tied back my hair into a simple ponytail, just as I heard three sets of footsteps.

One set was heavy, but soft. That had to belong to Squall. The other was not as heavy, but louder, like boots. That was probably Quistis. The last set of footsteps must have belonged to Headmaster Cid, then.

"Not in here, hun. Sorry," Dr. Kadowaki said.

"That's ok. I think the people you called are just down the hall." I opened the curtain to see the kind doctor walk out, then right back in leading two people. One was a blonde female, obviously Quistis Trepe. The other was a balding, middle-aged man, who had to be Cid. Squall must have stayed outside.

"How'd you know we were that close?" Quistis asked.

I shrugged. "I can hear things better than most people."

"Ok, well, I'm Cid, headmaster of Balamb Garden, and this is Instructor Quistis Trepe." Cid pointed first to himself, then to Quistis as he introduced them to me.

"I'm Sylvia. I don't really have a last name; mostly people refer to me as Sylvia Silver-eyes. You can also call me Sylva or Siva," I introduced myself.

"Ok, well, Miss Sylvia, my student and I found you unconscious on the Alcald Plains. Do you know how you got there, or what you were doing?" Quistis asked gently. I shook my head.

"Um, if I tell you something, will you believe me?" Everyone nodded, giving me a puzzled look. "Well, I actually come from another world. To me, this world is one that is nothing more than a game. I was trying to get to sleep, when I heard my TV turn on. I got up, and went to check it out. I saw Balamb, Balamb Garden, and the Fire Cavern, to the west, north, and east respectively. Next thing I know, exhaustion made me faint, and I remember two figures running toward me."

After I summarized the events of my appearance in this world, there was a silence that made me nervous. Cid looked like he was contemplating the idea, while Quistis was shocked. Dr. Kadowaki nodded, accepting my story. She was the first to speak.

"You know, this story sounds familiar. I remember, back when I was a nurse in Balamb, a kid, a young boy, was brought to me, with similar stories. I believe his name was… Josh." I gasped.

"I knew a Josh. Was he skinny, with a long face, short blonde hair, and sea green eyes?" The doctor nodded. "He disappeared from his house in the middle of the night a few years back. He was playing the same game I was, Final Fantasy VIII… You think the same thing happened?"

"Yes. I believe the two stories to be related," Dr. Kadowaki said.

"Ok, well, since we figured out how she appeared out of nowhere, sort of, let's go so that Sylvia can rest some more," Cid said. Then, with Quistis following, the headmaster walked out of the infirmary.

I was about to lay down and rest my now throbbing head when I heard a deep, quiet voice ask "Can I come in?"


	3. Chapter 2: The Wolf meets the Lion

Chapter Two: The Wolf (finally) meets the Lion; Two Days before the Exam

"Can I come in?"

I turn around to see who spoke, only to see a young man with messy brown hair and a scar between his stormy blue eyes. I nearly fainted when I realized that the person who snuck up on me was Squall Leonhart. He must have quieter footsteps that I realized.

"Um, sure. Um, my name is…"

"Sylvia. I'm Squall Leonhart. I heard you talking to Instructor Trepe and Headmaster Cid," he explained. "I also was the one to drag you from the plains into this infirmary."

"I guess a 'thank you' is in store. If I had been left out there, I could have died…"

"No need. You should be thanking Instructor Trepe. She ran to you first." Squall rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Now, why did you end up fainting?" He looked at me, eyes brimming with curiosity.

"I…" I started to say, when I was interrupted by my stomach growling. I blushed, embarrassed.

"I'll take you to the cafeteria. You can tell me on the way there," the boy offered. I looked at Dr. Kadowaki.

"You can go, but I want you to come back here so I can do a check-up," she said.

"Ok, let's go! I'm starving! Are they still serving breakfast?" I looked up at the young man guiding me to my food. He nodded. "Good. How long have I been out?"

"Two hours, at most," he replied.

"Wow, it seems like so much longer." We walked along in silence, until I heard footsteps following us, set of three, two male, one female. "We're being followed," I whispered, barely moving my lips. Right after I said that, the lead person spoke.

"Who's your new girlfriend, Leonhart?" the person asked, contempt all but evident in his voice. 'Seifer?' I thought. Squall turned around, and I did the same. 'Yup, definitely Seifer, with Fujin and Rajin following.' There was no mistaking that hair or coat for anyone else.

Squall's eyes flashed dangerously. I could feel my wolf stirring. I was positive that if I looked in the mirror, my eyes would have been either gold flecked with silver, silver flecked with gold, or a pure, hot gold.

Seifer smiled smugly, his posse snickering. His eyes turned to me.

"I don't think I've seen you around before. You'll have to state your full name, age, and business," the blonde boy said, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen. I chose my words carefully, picking words that would get my meaning across loud and clear.

"Hm, how about I shove that pad up your ass? I'm not telling you anything. There's nothing you need to know," I told the boy before me. His eyes got wide, his jaw dropping, along with Fujin and Raijin's jaws. I crossed my arm in my 'I-mean-business' sort of way.

"How about you watch who you're talking to, bitch? Do you even know who I am?" Seifer demanded.

"Yes, Seifer Almasy, age 18, leader of the disciplinary committee, gunblade specialist, date of birth: December 22, blood type: O, limit break: Fire Cross," I said, remembering the stats from my guide book at home. Again, the three members of the disciplinary committee dropped their jaws. I turned on my heel, Squall following. I could feel his gaze on me, so I turned to look at him. He had one eyebrow raised.

"What?" I demanded.

"Didn't think you'd be one to cross paths with Seifer, considering you know who he is."

"I can take care of Seifer easily. Just take away his gunblade and magic, then we'll see who's stronger. I'm also faster than him. A lot faster." I said as we turned into the cafeteria. "Now, you wanted to know why I fainted, right? I was sleep deprived. Hadn't gotten enough sleep the past few days." He thought over that for a bit.

"Hey, weren't your eyes silver? They're gold now," Squall said. I looked into the reflective windows and, sure enough they were gold.

"My eyes change according to my mood. If I'm angry or upset, my eyes turn gold," I replied. I went to the line for the food, Squall following me.

"Is it all-you-can-eat?" The boy nodded. "Good, because I could eat a bus." I went up to the counter, and got food piled onto my plate. One of the Cafeteria ladies looked at me, then the food on my plate.

"Hon, you sure you could eat all of that? I'd hate for it to go to waste," she said.

"Trust me, I'll eat every bit. I have a big stomach." Then I walked to an empty table in the back. Squall followed, a plate of food in his hands, with much smaller portions. We ate in silence, just listening to the other students of the Garden talk about tests, complain about classes, and decide on weekend plans.

After we finished eating, Squall walked me back to the infirmary.

"Hey, Squall?" He looked at me. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Take care, and try not to push Seifer anymore," the teen said.

"No promises there. I can't help it. I've wanted to do that so long!" I giggled. Squall sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. He tried to hide it, but I could see the smile tugging his lips.

"Well, just try. Now, I have to go. Class is going to start soon." He started to walk out the door.

"See you at lunch?" I asked. He turned and nodded, that smile still playing along his lips.

"Ok, honey, let me do a quick check up, then you need to see Cid," Dr. Kadowaki said.

One Day until the Exam

A day later, Quistis called Squall up to her desk after class was out to talk about the Fire Cavern

"If you want to become a SeeD, you must pass the requisite. I know we weren't able to do it yesterday, but, we could do it today. Sylvia is going to come also. She took all of the necessary tests with Headmaster Cid," the instructor said.

Squall didn't hesitate, saying he'd do it this afternoon.

"Do you want to tell Sylvia that you will be doing the test today?" Quistis asked.

"Yes," he said. Quistis nodded, then dismissed him.

Squall found her in her dorm. She had gotten the one right between Squall's dorm and that blonde with the tattoo on his face. She was setting up the room. Sylvia had already gotten the SeeD cadet uniform and multiple outfits matching the one she was wearing now. She also got a notebook and a drawing pad, as well as some other art supplies. Leaning against the wall between the desk and her bed, Sylvia had put her new weapon. It was a simple, light, easy-to-use gunblade. At the moment, she was putting away all of her necessities, like the toothpaste.

"Hey Squall!" she said, not even looking up from the drawer. She finished putting away her stuff, closed the drawer, and turned around. "What ya doing'?"

"I was wondering if you would like to join Instructor Trepe and me this afternoon. We're going to the Fire Cavern."

"Sure! Hey, don't you have free time now?" He nodded. "Would you like to tooter me on fighting with the gunblade? I was thinking gunblade because there are a variety of ways to use it, and it is more powerful than the staff I was thinking about getting," Sylvia said, rambling on. Squall found himself smiling again, and actually listening. This girl was strange to get inside of him so easily when others who tried so hard couldn't…

Squall led me to the Training Center, where he showed me how to hold my gunblade, how to correctly slash and slice (there is actually a wrong way, if you twist your wrist a certain way, the blade may not cut as deep, and you can end up injuring yourself.), how to junction magic drawn from Grats, and how to time pulling the trigger, among other things.

He demonstrated the timing on some unlucky Grats that wandered our way. After he showed me, he let me try. I ran up to the Grat, my blade pointed toward the ground and out away from my body, then just as I felt the blade make contact with the Grat, I pulled the trigger, releasing a blank round and causing the attack to do even more damage. I didn't really need to pull the trigger, though; the slice alone would have cut the Grat in half. That's the strength of a werewolf for ya. I also found out that I can use my gunblade with one hand, but I decided to do that only if there was no option.

After slicing a few more Grats in half, Squall and I went to meet with Quistis (no matter how hard I try, I still call her Quistis, not Instructor Trepe). She was already waiting for us, and we walked across the plains, avoiding the forest because no one seemed to want to run into a T-Rexaur. We reached the path to Cavern's entrance with few problems, and Quistis gave me Quetzacotl.

"You need it more than I do, Sylvia," was all she said. When Quetzacotl junctioned to me, I felt tingly, like small volts of electricity was coursing through my body.

(Hello. I guess you're my new summoner.) I jumped as I heard the voice.

'Quetzacotl?' I asked.

(Yes. I guess it is your first junction. Although I sense another being…)

'That is my wolf. You see, I'm a werewolf. She just doesn't talk much. She's more of a creature of action.'

(Ah, ok. So, three consciousnesses residing in one being, acting in harmony.)

"Sylvia? You Ok?" Quistis asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I just didn't expect the GF to talk."

"No one does. I enjoy watching their reactions. There was one boy who actually screamed," the instructor said. "Now, let's get going. Junction Blizzard to your Elem-Atk." I did, watching the small ice crystals form on my gunblade.

**AN: If this chapter was a bit short, I'm sorry.**


	4. Chapter 3: Ifrit and the Fire Cavern

Chapter 3: Ifrit and the Fire Cavern

The Garden Faculty guarded the entrance of the Cavern and asked for the student ID numbers and the support. We each gave out ID numbers, then chose a time limit.

"How about 30 minutes? That way, if any problems arise, we won't be short on time, and we don't have to rush beating Ifrit," I said. Squall looked at me and nodded, and Quistis agreed.

"Very well. You have 30 minutes to complete the test. Good luck," one of the Garden Faculty members said as he handed Quistis a watch with the chosen time limit.

"Let's go," Squall said, drawing his gunblade. I drew mine, and Quistis unhooked her whip from her belt. We stepped into the Fire Cavern as Quistis started the time. There were few distractions, so we just ran to the end of the cave, where Ifrit would be waiting.

"You two ready?" Quistis asked. I nodded; Squall waved his hand a bit. "Ok, here we go." She whistled loud and long (which hurt my ears), and soon Ifrit jumped out of the hole in the rock.

The GF threw back his head and roared, showing sharp fangs, accepting our challenge. Squall and I held out gunblades ready, Quistis cracked her whip against the rock. My wolf stirred, feeling the battle getting ready to unfold. I could feel my eyes change from silver to gold as a smile played across my lips.

"What are you smiling at, mortal human?" Ifrit demanded. His voice was deep and booming.

"I'm excited, that's all. My first real battle and it's against you," I replied, my voice innocent.

"Don't taunt me mortal!" Ifrit snarled. He jumped up and readied his elbow to smash into me. At the last moment, I jumped back, then ran and drew my blade deep into the GF's bicep, leaving that arm useless. The slice was long, deep, and neat, not jagged.

I jumped back again as he tried to grab me with his good arm. Quistis snapped her whip, which sent it wrapping around Ifrit's arm. Squall sliced open the GF's side, which made him roar in pain and anger. He grabbed part of the chain whip holding his good arm and yanked, throwing Quistis to the other side of the Cavern.

By now I was really sweating. The heat from the lava and the battle really add up. I glanced over at Squall and noticed he had the same problem. I watched Ifrit as I took off my leather jacket, leaving nothing to protect me except my speed, strength, and a tank top. I threw my jacket back and checked to make sure it landed on the stones. Then I focused on Ifrit, Quistis, and Squall. Ifrit was charging Squall, who jumped to the left and ran behind the beast to Quistis. The instructor had not gotten up yet, and her face was contorted in pain.

Squall looked at me and nodded. I keep Ifrit occupied while he takes care of Quistis. So, I turn my attention back to the fire GF. My eyes made contact with his, and that angered him. He roared again, jumping up and trying to smash me with his elbow again. I noticed how tall he was, which made me feel short, which angered me. (I notice the strangest things at the strangest times) I charged the GF, gunblade down and out to the side.

As he tried to get his elbow out of the crater he made, I did an upward stroke, catching Ifrit on the tricep. The cut wasn't deep and didn't limit him like the other cut did, so he roared again (he roars a lot, don't you think), yanked his arm free and charged me. I tumbled gracefully out of his way, using my speed to my advantage. I danced around the large creature, using my speed to run in and give him a shallow cut. Then, I remembered that morning with Tom.

I looked around, keeping Ifrit out of range and in my sights and found what I was looking for. I ran at the fire GF, sliding under his legs. I didn't cut him because I had an idea. At that moment, thank God, or Hyne, Quistis and Squall got back in the fight.

"Keep him busy! I have an idea!" I told the two. I ran to the stalagmite, jumping from the side of one to the side of another to climb. I got to the top of the stalagmite I spotted earlier, and crouched on the top. I carefully aimed myself, not wanting to overshoot or undershoot. I watched as Quistis kept hitting Ifrit in the face with her chain whip. Squall used the same tactic I was using, but he wasn't as fast. That's ok, he was more graceful.

I shook my head, clearing it of my daydreams, then carefully re-aimed myself. Once I was lined up, I whistled, long and loud so it would echo, even though it hurt my sensitive ears. Squall and Quistis backed away a bit as the GF looked around for the source of the sound. Seeing that he was staying in one spot, I did a quick check, then pushed off the stalagmite as hard as I could. My aim was perfect. I landed right at the back of his neck. Ifrit tried to shake me off, but I clung to his mane. He was so busy trying to keep me occupied that he didn't notice when Squall started to summon Shiva as Quistis checked the time real quick.

"We have 4:30 left!" she shouted.

(Sylvia, you should get off now,) Quetzacotl said.

'Trust me, I know what I'm doing,' I replied.

"Sylvia! Get off him!" Quistis shouted.

"I know what I'm doing," I growled again. I noticed the ice crystals forming Shiva's ice pillar. My wolf yipped in agreement. Before I jumped off, I bent toward Ifrit's ear.

"I told you I was excited. Now do you believe me?" I jumped off of the now confused GF back onto the stalagmite. I grabbed it, and climbed to the top again, just as Shiva unleashed her attack. The ice barely missed me, but it did a lot to cool me down. I slid down the rock after the ice shattered.

"THEY HAVE SHIVA!" Ifrit snarled.

"Just a little more than 2 minutes left!" Quistis shouted. I looked at Squall, who looked at Quistis once I got his attention. She looked at me, and we all nodded. I held up three fingers. I watched as the other two cut off his escape, Quistis on his left, Squall on his right. I took the back. I put down one finger. We readied our weapons and magic. I put down the second finger. All three of us got ready to charge. I put down the third finger.

We ran at the GF, Quistis coated her chain in ice so it did more damage as she whipped his face and arm. Squall and I put all of our strength into our blow, pulling the trigger at just the right time. Ifrit fell onto his knee.

"For me to lose to mortals. Very well, I will join you," he said. His voice was rough with pain.

It took me a bit to process that information. My mind was a haze of fighting. When it finally sank in, my face broke into a grin. My wolf settled back down, her part complete. I felt my eyes turn back to silver.

Ifrit went to Squall, Quetzacotl went back to Quistis, and Shiva came to me.

((You are a reckless human. One who puts others safety before personal safety. There aren't many people like that.)) she said.

'Well, I'm not fully human…' I started.

((I know, Quetzacotl told me. Don't worry, he won't tell Quistis.))

"I never would have guessed you were so fast!" Quistis exclaimed. I smiled, sheepishly.

"Seifer wouldn't want to pick a fight with you," Squall commented. I saw his smirk, just before it was wiped away.

"And, you're strong. Most people wouldn't be able to jump like that. And the way you sliced into Ifrit with such grace and accuracy was amazing," Quistis said.

(-Ok, stop fawning over the girl. She gave me a pretty good cut,-) Ifrit said.

"Well, you were just too slow. I have been on the street since I was 3, fighting for food and safety. I had to be strong and fast," I told everyone.

"Ok, well, let's get out of here. The SeeD Field Exam is tomorrow, and you want to be in top condition," Quistis said.

Squall watched her go to Cid's office, a smile playing at his lips as he watched her move, remembering how those very same muscles moved during battle... That is, until Ifrit barged in on his thoughts.

(-Hey! She nearly amputated my arm! Stop daydreaming about that little wench-)

'You sound jealous. Do you envy her?' Squall teased.

(-No! I don't like her one bit-)

'He he he, I think someone is a sore loser.' Squall walked to his dorm and lay on his bed, his hands behind his head. 'I wonder what the Field Exam will be like…'

(-I don't know, and I don't care. As long as the wench isn't on our team, I'll be happy-)

'Whatever.' After a while, he got off his bed to see what was going on, because the dorms were suddenly quiet.

He went to the main hall, and saw a big crowd surrounding the elevator, so he went to investigate.

I walked out of the elevator after having a meeting with Cid, right into Seifer. 'Hyne, help me.'

"Well, look who it is. Where were you this afternoon? With your boyfriend?" Seifer baited. She started to get ticked off with his attitude.

"I was with Squall and Quistis fighting Ifrit. Now, unless you want to end up in the infirmary, I suggest you move," I said, glaring up at the blonde boy in front of me, because he was taller than me.

"Or what? What'll you do, bitch? Go to Squall, or the headmaster? Hahahaha! You are such a joke. You shouldn't even be here," Seifer smirked. I ignored him, and tried to get through. He moved to block my path. I moved to the other side, and again he blocked my path.

My wolf started to get pissed. No one treats me with disrespect like this. I decided to try to scare him.

"Just so you know, I'm not scared of you, or your little groupies. I can take you down. I was able to take down Ifrit with hardly any sort of strain. I almost severed his arm, and I was going easy on him," I said. At that moment, Quistis walked out of the elevator.

"You were going easy on him? Oh, Hyne, I'd hate to think about what would have happened if you went harder on him…" Quistis looked at me, wondering what I could do.

"So, she's…not bluffing?" Seifer asked timidly.

"Go get Squall and have him tell you. He's junctioned to Ifrit, not me," Quistis retorted. Then she walked off to the infirmary to find some GF potions.

"Holy shit, girl! You know, we could use someone like you on the Disciplinary Committee," Seifer said, smiling and putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't touch me," I growled through clenched teeth. Seifer kept smiling, keeping his hand on my shoulder.

"Get. Your hand. Off. Of. My shoulder." I said more forcefully. He didn't. So, I did the logical thing. I grabbed his arm and flipped him over my shoulder. Seifer landed on his back, groaning and wincing in pain.

It was then that I noticed the crowd of students crowded around me, because they started cheering. Apparently, people have wanted to do that for a while.

I had just disappeared into the crowd when the Garden Faculty members showed up. They saw Seifer, then immediately asked "Who did this?"

No one answered. They didn't want to have me get in trouble for putting Seifer in his place.

Squall watched, surprised, as Sylvia threw Seifer over her shoulder. He pushed through the crowd, trying to find her. But, she had already disappeared. Actually, he was pleased that the girl could take Seifer down. Considering she was about 95 pounds and Seifer was about 195 pounds, she must be strong.

It also means he won't have to worry about her during the field exam… Ah, damn it! This girl is getting to close. But, Squall had to admit that it felt nice to let someone inside his secret personal life.

He wandered around, looking for something to do. At the moment he didn't want to do anything. He just wanted to get to bed. It had been a long day for the young SeeD candidate. He had too much adrenaline coursing through his body, what with the Fire Cavern, then Sylva taking down Seifer. And he hadn't done anything else today.

Well, tomorrow, he'll be taking the field exam, and then? Who knows? He certainly didn't.

He sat on his bed until he saw Sylvia enter her room, then he laid out on his bed and fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 4: The SeeD Field Exam

Chapter 4: The SeeD Field Exam

I woke up to someone pounding on the door. I buried my head in my pillow not wanting to wake up. I had the most peaceful sleep in a long time, and I didn't want it to end now.

"Sylvia, come on. Today's the field exam," said a voice. It was muffled, and without my werewolf hearing, I wouldn't have been able to hear it through the door and the pillow. But, it was a voice that got me up, just because it was a miracle I was still here. It was Squall.

But, it felt so good just to sleep I didn't want to get out of bed. The door opened, and Squall, already wearing his SeeD cadet uniform, walked in. He came over to my bed and just stood over me until I got up. That made me want to stay in bed even more, because I could just stare into his eyes.

"Come on, sleepy head. We need to get going," he said. I sighed.

'Damn it, stupid field exam. Stupid Galbadian army. Stupid Dollet…Now I can't just stare into his eyes… grrrrr.' I sat up and stretched, my muscles really tight. 'Shit. Tonight's the full moon, and it'll be out during the Dollet exam. Shit, shit, shit.'

"Ok, I'm up. What time is it?" I asked.

"9:15. You need to get up so you can go eat," Squall pointed out. I sighed again. Then I thought of something that made my day.

"Well, at least there'll be plenty of Galbadian soldiers to kill!" I smirked at the boy's confused look, until it hit him.

"Oh, yeah you've played the game." He slapped his forehead. I grinned even wider.

"But, that witch, Riona isn't gonna get you. Not this time. I won't let her," I said deviously.

"Who? Eh, never mind. I guess I'll find out later. Now, get out of bed and get dressed," the 'lone wolf' said, turning on his heel and walking out the door. "Be out here soon. We have to be at the front gate by 10, and unless you want to do the exam on an empty stomach, then you should hurry so you can get some breakfast." Then the door closed.

I sighed, then crawled out of bed. Going to my closet, I grab the SeeD cadet uniform and put it on. It consisted of a jacket and a skirt. The jacket was navy blue with silver designs sewn onto it. The skirt was the same color, without the silver designs. I wore my boots and gloves. Then I tied my hair back into a ponytail, then decided to do something different and turned the ponytail into a bun.

Once I was ready, I walked out of my dorm and straight to the cafeteria. I grabbed the usual huge pile of food. The cafeteria ladies didn't comment, but looked at each other. I looked at the students in the cafeteria. I recognized Selphie, Nida, Xu, and all of the CC Card members, even Joker.

I ate quickly, being finished with my plate of food in less than 30 minutes. I went into the main hall, in front of the directory, and looking around, spotted Squall. I walked over to him, then spent the rest of the time making sure I had all of my items within reach for battles, and my magic was organized.

Just as I finished, Quistis walked down from the elevator, holding a clipboard. She was wearing the SeeD uniform. When she spotted Squall and me, she called us over.

"You two will be on the same squad, along with Zell Dincht. Quite a lively fellow," she commented.

"Lively? He's just loud," Squall said. I clamped my hands to my mouth to prevent the giggles from escaping. I still found that funny, even after going through this part about 20 times.

"Zell! Come over here!" the instructor said, ignoring Squall's comment. The student in question was a blonde with a tattoo on the left side of his face. He wore gloves, preferring his fists to any weapon.

He was warming up, punching and kicking the air. When Quistis called his name, he stopped and looked in our direction. After a series of cartwheels and flips, he stopped, flashing a smile.

"Whoa! I'm in your squad? Sweet! I'm Zell," he introduced himself, rubbing his hand on his pants, inspected it, and offered it to Squall. The gunblade wielder looked at it, then looked away, crossing his arms.

"I'm Sylvia," I said, introducing myself. I offered my hand for Zell to shake, feeling sorry for him. The boy smiled brightly and shook my hand vigorously.

"You're the one who…" he looked at Quistis, "ya know, flipped Seifer on his back." I smiled.

"You don't get along with Seifer that well, do you?" Zell asked, both of us. Then he turned his attention to Squall. "Heard he whooped you pretty good earlier this week."

"We weren't fighting, we were training." Squall sighed in irritation.

"Bet you he doesn't think that," Zell muttered back. "Seifer's just being a pain in the ass. All you have to do is ignore him."

"Ehem…That Seifer that you're talking about, he's your squad leader," Quistis said.

"SAY WHAT?" Zell hollered. He jumped back, shocked.

"It can't be changed, sorry," replied the instructor. "Seifer, are you here?" I knew he was. I could smell him, over by the front gate.

The leader of the disciplinary committee walked up as his name was called, followed by Fujin and Raijin. I decided to say something.

"Hey, aren't you two supposed to be in study hall? Everyone who isn't taking the field exam is supposed to be there," I commented. Fujin and Raijin glared at me, and I was pleased to see Seifer divert his eyes to glare at my feet.

"We are checking to make sure that everyone is doing that, ya know?" Raijin retorted.

Quistis cleared her throat. "Seifer, you are the leader of this squad. Good luck."

"Instructor, I don't like it when people wish me luck. Save those words for a bad student who needs them," he said coolly.

"Alright, then. Good luck, Seifer," the instructor threw back into his face, just as coolly. Seifer looked like he would hit Quistis, but instead he just thrust his gunblade to the left.

"Add Instructor Trepe to the list," he ordered the other members of the disciplinary committee.

"Well then. You're all assigned to Squad B. I'll be the instructor in charge. Teamwork is of the utmost importance. Let's get through this exam everyone!" the blonde SeeD instructor said.

"Listen up," Seifer interrupted again. "Teamwork means staying out of my way. That's a Squad B rule." I sighed, shaking my head as Zell shook with anger.

"Whatever," I replied. I heard the elevator come down, and smelt Cid.

'Well, here comes the lecture,' I thought.

((Do you not like lectures?)) Shiva asked.

'Not really. I'm not one to sit and listen to people tell us what to do. I prefer doing stuff,' I told the ice GF. I look up just as Cid walked out of the elevator and down to the directory, where the other three squads waited for their assignment.

"Is everyone here?" the headmaster asked. All people present looked at him.

"It's been a while, everyone. How's everyone doing?" No one wanted to bother with pleasantries; they just wanted to get this exam over with. Seeing this, the headmaster continued.

"This exam will involve twelve members, grouped in squads ranging from A to D. Each squad will cover a specific area. You have already been grouped in these squads, and assigned an instructor?" Cid peered critically at the groups before him. The instructors present nodded. "Good."

"Once you get to your destination, you will be proceeding to a real battlefield. Obviously the battles are for real." The headmaster paused to let this sink in.

"Life and death, victory and defeat, honor and disgrace. Each of these go hand in hand. There's only one way or another. How 'bout it? Are you all still up for it?" again, he peered at the students, leaning toward us to watch our reaction. No one said a word.

"You will be accompanied by nine SeeD members. Should you fail, these members will get the job done. They always do." The hall remained quiet.

Squall watched the headmaster as he peered at the people gathered before him.

"Well, that one less worry on your mind!" Cid laughed. "The pride of Balamb Garden! The elite mercenary force, SeeD!" As he was talking, the headmaster got more excited, until he threw his hands in the air, as if he just finished conducting a really beautiful piece of music.

"Learn from them, obey their commands and complete the mission. Prove yourself worthy of becoming a member of SeeD." The headmaster lowered his hands, only to clasp them behind his back. "Best of luck."

'He he, Seifer probably didn't enjoy that,' Squall thought as his squad, led by Quistis, walked from the main hall to the parking lot. He glanced over at the student in question and, sure enough, there was a look of extreme exasperation and anger on his face.

The SeeD cadets all piled into the car, Quistis at the far corner of the car, on the side looking toward the door everyone entered through. Seifer sat on the same side as the instructor. Zell took the seat across from Quistis, Sylvia sitting down next to him. Squall took the only open seat on the side opposite Seifer. He really didn't feel like sitting next to his rival, instead sitting across from the blonde haired boy with his arms on his knees. He bowed his head to look at the floor beneath his feet.

Zell got a bit antsy, fidgeting in his seat. Eventually, the fighter looked over Sylvia at the boy sitting on his side of the car.

"Yo, Squall. Show me your gunblade, will ya?" he asked.

Squall didn't reply. He just looked at the floor, deep in thought. "…"

"C'mon, man!" Zell said, trying to get Squall to listen.

"…"

"Just a peek?" Zell asked, holding his thumb and index finger close together.

"…"

"Tch, fine…" Zell looked away and pouted, folding his arms across his chest. "Yeah, yeah." He looked at Squall again.

"Why you bein' so selfish?" Zell grumbled. "Scrooooooooge!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Squall noticed Sylvia giggling, holding her hand over her mouth. The girl was entertained by little things like this?

Zell sighed in exasperation. "Say somethin', will ya? W-What's on your mind?" he asked. It was Squall's turn to sigh.

"…Nothing," he replied. At the same time, Quistis and Sylvia said the same thing as him. Squall looked at the girl next to him, then at his instructor. Sylvia was giggling again, and Quistis looked at the brown haired cadet innocently.

Zell looked between the three, confusion practically written on his face. Squall was willing to bet the fighter was wondering what he was missing, seeing as only Sylvia was laughing. After a bit, he gave up trying to figure it out and sighed heavily.

Squall continued to think, readying himself for the fight ahead. Seifer looked at his watch, hidden in an inner pocked of his coat. It was one of those watches you expected the president to wear, attached to a chain with a button to open it.

After glancing at the time, Seifer snapped it closed and put it away. Squall glanced at his watch on his wrist, almost hidden by the sleeve of his uniform. It read 12:45. He sighed inwardly.

Sylvia stopped giggling and was now inspecting her gunblade, going over the blade with a bit of cloth she had procured from her jacket pocket. Seifer had his feet up on the table set in the middle of the car and his arms hanging off the back of the chair. Quistis was watching her students. Zell kept fidgeting.

Eventually, the Balamb resident couldn't take sitting down anymore, so he got up and started swiping the air with his fists, jumping a bit. He aimed at each person in the car and pretended to punch that person a few times. Once he 'punched' everyone one time around, he turned back to face Seifer.

"Stop that," Seifer told Zell after dealing with a few minutes worth of Zell's warm-up. "It's annoying." The other boy stopped punching the air and was about to sit back down when Seifer chuckled.

"Chicken-wuss," he said quietly. Zell shot back up, holding his fists up and shaking with anger.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?" he shouted. Seifer just chuckled quietly.

Sylvia put her hand to her forehead and massaged it, sighing. Quistis got up, putting her hands on her hips. She gave the two boys a stern glare.

"Stop it, both of you!" she ordered. "You are supposed to be preparing yourselves for the field exam!"

Zell quickly sat back down, startled by the instructor's tone. He didn't even glance at the boy sitting on the other side of the car, instead deciding to cross his arms over his chest stubbornly. Seifer still shook with laughter, but he didn't chuckle out loud, a smug smile playing on his face at being able to bait the fighter so easily.

Both Quistis and Sylvia sighed heavily, annoyed by the boys' attitude. Squall watched the latter of the two. He suddenly thought about the girl with the green shawl that had visited him in the infirmary earlier that week.

I watched as Squall glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. He had been acting out of character lately, and I realized it was because of me. Being an Omega werewolf, I had the talent of drawing the best out of people and calming people down. It didn't work with Seifer or Zell because both were so freaking stubborn.

Suddenly, Squall looked at Quistis.

"Instructor?" he asked, startling Zell and the blonde woman. Both looked at Squall, wondering what he wanted to say. I, of course, knew, having played the game back in my world.

"Yes, Squall? What is it?" Quistis asked.

"Who was that girl in the infirmary earlier this week?" he questioned. The instructor looked at him.

"Was someone there? I didn't notice anyone. Is there a problem?"

"No…" he replied, looking back down, studying the floor of the car. "Not really."

"This is great," Seifer said. His shoulders were shaking with barely suppressed chuckles. "I have a chicken-wuss and a guy who's just reached puberty in my squad. What's next? A sorceress?" he asked. He laughed as Zell angrily put his fist up in a silent threat. Squall was quiet again.

'Not quite, Seifer. Almost, but not quite,' I thought.

We drove the rest of the way to the docks in silence. I looked out the window for my first look at Balamb, in person. It was beautiful, with soft blues and pinks and creams coloring the buildings. The ocean was a deep blue, the waves were crested white. I couldn't wait to see it when it was colored by the sunset.

_Um, sorry for the long wait. I couldn't find any inspiration. Blame my Sylvia-muse. She just daydreamed about a certain brunet._

_-HEY! Not cool! You also daydreamed about that certain socially-challenged brunet!_

_Erm...Ahem...Anyway, I have most of the next chapter done. AND, within a week or two, I'll have a beta reader!_

_-I'm surprised anyone even replied, let alone accepted!_

_Ignoring you. So, yeah, hopefully the chapters will be out sooner now. Please, review and tell me how you liked it! I'm begging you!_

_-I'll even throw in an invisible cake! Any flavor you want! I'm tired of the authoress pouting and moping around the house._

_Thank you Sylvia. Please review! Thank you!_

_Yours truly;_

_sarahleonhart and Sylvia_


	6. Chapter 5: Off to Dollet

Chapter Five: Off to Dollet

_Sorry if Squall is a bit OOC, but i can't write anyone to be as cold as Squall is. Here's a key for the story:_

_-~-~-~- = change POV_

_((insert phrase)) = Shiva_

_(-insert phrase-) = Ifrit_

_'thought' = Squall/Sylvia's thoughts_

_Meet you at the bottom!_

_-See you there! We've worked really hard on this one..._

_

* * *

_

Once the car was parked, we piled out onto the docks. Seifer and Squall stopped in front of me.

"So that's the vessel?" the brown haired boy asked.

"Yup. Ain't no turnin' back now," the blonde boy replied. I heard a slight change in Squall's voice, as did Seifer. "Huh? You scared, too?" he asked, raising his eyebrow at Squall. I pushed through the two boys, not wanting to hear any more of Seifer's shit.

I jogged to the SeeD ship waiting for us at the end.

"Hurry up! You guys are the last!" a SeeD shouted. I waited at the side of the ship for Squall, who got on after Seifer and Zell. I got on the ship after the boys, followed by Quistis.

Zell was in the far corner of the room we were to sit in while we were transported to Dollet, sitting on one of the seats. Seifer had taken up the last seat on the side of the vessel that had the door, right across from Zell, and assumed the same position as in the car. Squall was sitting in the first seat, leaving the middle one unoccupied. I took the one across from him, and Quistis stood next to me.

Xu came in just as we had gotten to our seats. "Hi, Quistis."

"These are the members of Squad B," the instructor said, waving at us.

We all stood and saluted, with the exception of Seifer.

"Nice to meet ya!" Zell said quickly, with that hint of hyperness.

"Pleased to meet you," Squall said with a calm air.

"Hi! Nice to meet you!" I said. I realized I said it almost exactly like Zell. Oh, Hyne help me. Xu looked over the three of us. Then she looked at Seifer.

"How many times has it been now, Seifer?" she asked. He looked completely bored.

"Oh, you know how much I just love these exams," he said. He even sounded bored.

Xu passed between the strategy table and the only clear path to the board at the head of the room.

"I'll explain the current situation and the mission," she said as the board turned on. "Be seated," Xu ordered. We complied obediently, Quistis standing at the back of the room, and, for the second time today, we were subjected to a lengthy lecture.

"Our client for the mission is the Dollet Dukedom Parliament. A request for SeeD was made 1800 hours ago." The board behind the SeeD showed a map of Dollet, the capital of the Dollet Dukedom.

"Dollet has been under attack by the G-Army since about 72 hours ago. 49 hours after the attack started, Dollet abandoned their position in the inner city. Currently, they have retreated into the nearby mountains and are reorganizing their troops. That's the current status."

"Now onto the mission objective. According to our reports, the G-Army is mopping up the Dollet troops in the mountain region. We're to make a landing at Lapin Beach." As she talked, Xu pointed out the areas on the map. "We're to eliminate the remaining G-Army within the city and liberate it A.S.A.P. Afterwards, SeeD members will intercept any G-Army forces trying to make their way into the city from the mountain region."

I have to admit, this was way more intense when experienced firsthand, even the briefing was intense. Anyway, once Xu finished talking, the screen behind her turned off. Seifer leaned his head back.

"So, what are WE supposed to do?" he interrogated. My wolf growled, not liking his tone. Well, what she didn't like was the fact that the tone Seifer used just now could be used against me. Xu moved in front of the screen.

"SeeD candidates are to eliminate the G-Army inside the city," she replied. Seifer heaved a sigh. Zell, however, threw his fist up importantly.

"Sounds important!" He flexed his muscled, excited at the chance to fight something other than monsters.

"Sounds boring," Seifer corrected. He put his elbow on the armrest, putting his cheek in his palm, as he looked up at the SeeD in front of the room. "So, what you're saying is we do all the dirty work." I noticed Quistis was shaking her head slowly in exasperation. Xu ignored the blonde student's comment.

"Oh, it hardly needs to be said, but the order to withdraw takes priority. Do NOT forget that," she said looking at the candidates. I nodded. I would leave, even if I had to kill the squad leader to do so. I wouldn't want to be left behind.

I looked at Squall and Zell. Zell was glancing around nervously; Squall was unreadable. I looked up as Xu cleared her throat.

"We're almost there. Expect a battle as soon as we land. Be prepared. Talk to Quistis if you have any questions." And with that, Xu walked back towards the command center of the vessel, making Zell stand up so she could pass.

No one said anything for a while. I looked out the little window on the door, watching the sea's waves crash into each other. Zell got up and started to warm up again. This time, Seifer didn't stop him. Squall organized his inventory.

"Any one care to tell me what time it is?" I asked, still looking out the window. Out of the corner of my eye, I was pleased to see Seifer jump.

"It's just after 1:30," Squall said.

"Why'd ya wanna know?" Zell asked, resuming his warm-up.

"I was curious. I don't have my own watch, ya know," I replied, still watching the waves. They put me in a calm state, enabling me to think through the haze of panic that the briefing had given me. Zell grunted.

I turned and sat back down, pulling out my gunblade and cleaning it to give me something to do. Zell came over to look at it; apparently he still wanted to see one.

After he looked at it, he went back over to his corner and started to warm-up again. It was quiet a bit longer. Quistis was going over her clipboard. Seifer had taken out his gunblade and started cleaning it, too.

"Squall, go up and check what's going on. Take your girlfriend with you," Seifer ordered. Again, my wolf growled at him, really not liking his tone or his attitude.

"…Ok." Seifer chuckled.

"Good, because it's MY order," he said.

Squall stood up, with me following suit. I knew the moon was out, but I didn't want to risk getting into a fight in that little room. I'd probably end up breaking someone's leg or something.

Before we had gotten up to the deck, I stopped Squall, grabbing his sleeve. He looked back at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Squall, I have something to tell you," I started.

"We have to go outside to check things out. Can't it wait?" he asked me. I shook my head.

"No, it can't wait. First off, when we go back down, have Quistis take away Seifer's gunblade and keep all weapons out of his grasp, for the time being. Second, I have a secret. A very dangerous secret." I stopped, unsure of how to tell the boy I was a werewolf. I knew I would change during the mission as soon as we stepped off the ship, which would make us loose valuable time, so changing now would allow me to stop aching as well as give everyone time to adjust.

"Well?" the boy asked. He was itching to go out and get back in. I was itching to go out and stay out. It was claustrophobic in the room.

"I…I'm a…werewolf," I said quietly. He looked at me, uncomprehending. I sighed. "I change from a human to a wolf during the full moon." That gave me the expression I was waiting for. His eyebrows shot up, shock easily read on his face.

"But, tonight's the full moon." I nodded.

"It's out right now. As soon as I step outside, I'll change. That's why I told you to take away Seifer's gunblade. I don't want to be attacked."

"Oh, now it makes sense." He turned and paced the stairs, struggling to wrap his head around this new, strange idea.

"Squall, I have to change now, so I won't hold you guys back once we reach land. It'll save time this way." He sighed and nodded. "Afterward, I'll be hurting, so don't touch me, unless you want your hand bitten off. During the full moon, my wolf is more in control. I can control her easier than most other werewolves, but she isn't as easy to control sometimes."

I left it at that, pushing passed the boy, right to the top of the ship. There weren't any windows that look down on the deck, so no one would notice. As soon as I saw the moon, my wolf pushed her way forward.

* * *

Squall watched as Sylvia's limbs twisted in un-natural ways; some parts elongated, others shortened. Her SeeD cadet uniform ripped as her body grew larger. A tail formed. Her skin sort of…dissolved, leaving the boy looking at Sylvia's muscles. Her face elongated, forming a wolf's muzzle. Then, fur flowed over her body. It was thick and healthy looking, the same color as her hair.

Once her change was completed, Squall slowly walked up to her. A deep, throaty growl could be heard, coming from the wolf laying down before him. He bent down and picked up some of the shards of the uniform.

As he was picking up the collar piece, the wolf opened her eyes and climbed to her feet. She looked right in Squall's eyes. Sylvia's eyes still held that same kindness, but there was now deadliness in them, one that he usually only saw in monsters. And, instead of them being silver, her eyes were gold. Not a yellow gold, but a pure gold like nothing he had ever seen before.

She shook herself out, sending some uniform pieces into the wind. She padded over to Squall and nosed him in his shoulder, making him fall back a bit. He laughed, and she smiled in a way that only a wolf could. Her tongue stuck out from between her jaws, which were lined with pure white, razor sharp teeth.

Squall reached up and scratched her behind her ear, then picked himself up to look around the ship, taking in his surroundings. He saw Dollet, explosions disrupting the usually peaceful town.

He pulled out a picture of Dollet, then put a transparency over it, watching the city get closer. Once he got a good idea of his surroundings, Squall looked at Sylvia. She wagged her tail slightly, giving a little yip.

The boy turned and walked to the stairs, Sylvia following. He walked into the room, everyone looking at him.

"Hey, where's Sylvia?" Zell asked, looking around. Squall pointed vaguely to the stairs.

"Instructor, would you please take away Seifer's weapon. It's only temporary," he added as Seifer started to protest. Quistis did as she was asked, confusion written on her face.

"Hey, man, what's going on?" Zell asked. He sat on the edge of his seat, waiting for Squall to answer.

"There's no easy way to say this…" he began.

"Oh, Hyne. She fell overboard didn't she?" Quistis said, jumping to the worst possible conclusion. Squall sighed, putting a hand on his forehead.

"No, she is still aboard the ship. But… you know what, I'll just have her show you herself." Hearing this Sylvia padded from the stairs into the room.

* * *

I padded into the room, realizing Squall couldn't say what needed to be said. Everyone stared at me, not realizing that the wolf was me. I looked at everyone, sighed, and retrieved my gunblade from the stairwell.

"Oh Hyne! Sylvia?" Quistis asked. I smiled as best as I could, wagging my tail.

"Oh, now it's complete!" Seifer exclaimed. "I have a chicken-wuss, a boy who just reached puberty, and a MUTT on my squad! Honestly, could it be any better?" he asked sarcastically, throwing his hands in the air. Squall sighed again, Zell threatened the squad leader silently with his fist, and I growled, loud and low. My hackles raised, and I bared my teeth

"Seifer, you idiot. She's not her regular self. Her wolf has more command, and I doubt her wolf would think twice about attacking you," Squall said. "Remember when she threw you over her shoulder?" Seifer snorted, turning away.

Just as he was about to retort, I barked a warning. Everyone looked at me, then stumbled as the vessel jumped over the wave barrier, landing on the other side. I ran to Quistis, snatched Seifer's gunblade, threw it at him, and ran to the side of the ship that had opened up to the beach. Yipping to the other members of Squad B, I jumped out of the vessel. Quistis told us our mission, to secure the central square.

Seifer took off ahead of us, but I grabbed the tail of his coat. He hit me in the head with the hilt of his gunblade, which I bit, grazing his hand and drawing blood.

"You stupid mutt!" he yelled. I growled, pinning him to the ground. "Get off me! You weigh a ton!" he struggled to free himself, until I deemed him subservient enough. I got off just as Squall and Zell caught up to us.

"Seifer, get off your ass. We have a mission to do," Squall said. He was about to pass under the gate into the city when two Galbadian soldiers jumped down.

"They're Dollet's reinforcements?" one asked.

"They're kids! With a mutt!" the other commented. That got me pissed. I growled, then took down the one who called me a mutt, clawing through his armor and helmet, ripping his chest and stomach. When I was done, Seifer looked at me funny and Squall and Zell had taken down the other soldier.

"Woah, dude! You took down the soldier by yourself?" Zell kicked the one I mauled. He didn't move. "Well, that's two less for Galbadia."

"Come on, slowpokes!" Seifer said, running up the street. I chased him, taking him down and pinning him again.

"I think she's trying to say stop running ahead," Zell commented.

"Oh, shut up, chicken-wuss," Seifer retorted.

"Sylvia, let him do what he wants," Squall said. I growled, then let him up, after nipping his nose, again drawing blood.

"Stupid mutt," the squad leader muttered. I let my hackles rise again, making myself appear more threatening. He dusted himself off, then turned back down the street and ran, taunting the soldiers.

"Wow, you can put someone in their place, can't ya," Zell said. I panted, smiling in my wolfish way. I tugged on the boy's pant leg, telling him to hurry. As they got the hint, I started to follow Seifer, when in fact I wanted to chase him.

The boy in question was surrounded by more Galbadian soldiers. Zell and Squall shared a look, then looked at me. I looked back at them, and they must have seen something in my eyes, because they backed up and raised their hands.

"They're yours," Squall said. I smiled again, then took off towards the group. One saw me coming and ran off. I followed him, unable to resist the temptation of a chase. I toyed with him a bit before breaking his neck. Then I turned back to the group of soldiers. I was excited; this was one of the best hunts I've had in years. I threw my head back and howled, making everyone look at me.

I was large, larger than most dogs or wolves anyone had seen in this world, and I could easily tower over the soldiers if I stood on my hind legs. I had large, razor sharp teeth that glinted in the light cast by the sun and moon. Basically, I was a living nightmare.

Some of the soldiers ran, and I resisted the urge to chase them, letting Squall and Zell deal with them. The one in charge whispered "Don't make any sudden movements," to his comrades. I smiled wolfishly, walking up to the group calmly. Seifer wanted to run, I could tell he wanted to, and I snapped at his feet, making him jump. I laughed, a growling sound coming from deep in my chest. I continued to walk through the group of soldiers until I reached the soldier in charge.

Suddenly, chaos reigned over the group as I jumped at the soldier's throat, my jaws closing around flesh. He was breathing heavily, his heart beating rapidly. The whole group trained their weapons on me. One poked me with his sword, and I closed my jaws around his commander's throat even more, teeth pressing into his skin, almost breaking skin.

"Don't do it! It'll kill him!" one of the soldiers shouted. Seifer chuckled.

"She's gonna kill him anyway, idiots. And you're next," the blonde sword master said. He made a move to cut down one of the soldiers, but I stopped him, growling. "Hey, I'm not gonna let you have all the fun!" he said indignantly. I growled, lower than earlier. "Fine, whatever. I'll start securing the square." He walked off, tapping the flat side of his blade against his shoulder.

((Sylvia, you should have let Seifer take some of the soldiers,)) Shiva told me. ((Don't forget, you still have a mission to carry out.))

'I know, I know. It's got something to do with me being a werewolf.' I left it at that. At least I could think somewhat coherently. Most times, I wasn't even able to do that.

I killed the commander, tearing his throat. Then I turned on the other soldiers, mauling them. I made sure to kill everyone. I didn't want any more werewolves in this world. It would completely mess up the story.

Squall was watching me, lost in thought again. Zell looked bored. That gave me an idea, something that would make Zell not so bored. I ran back to the boys, plowing into both of them. They fell on my back, and I took off, the boys grabbing my fur to stay on. We flew through the streets as I followed Seifer's scent, SeeD cadets and soldiers jumping out of the way. Squall killed the soldiers by holding out his gunblade as we passed them.

Zell sat up and threw his hands over his head. "OH YEAH! This is what I call a ride!" he shouted. He lost his balance, but Squall caught him before the fighter hit the ground, pulling him back on my back. I slid to a stop in front of Seifer, who was standing in front of the fountain in the center of the town square.

* * *

_So, did you like it? The part where Sylvia told Squall what she was was hard for me to write._

_-Even with my help..._

_Yeah... Well, here's a thank you list of my reviewers. Sorry if it's alittle late..._

_Queen000- thank you for the truthful reply. If my retort was a bit harsh, sorry. I was reacting in the heat of the moment..._

_englishmuffins3- It's fine, don't worry. I'm just glad you found it._

_finnsandfeathers- So glad you like it! Hope you keep reading!_

_KingofHeartless'09- Here's your cake! Triple chocolate! Keep reading and replying!_

_Josh- Thank you! I'm glad that there are actually people who like it. That goes for all of the above persons, too. Um, sorry about the spelling errors, I didn't notice them. I'll keep a better eye out for them. When I get my beta, there will be fewer errors. I'm the same way... And, the POV should change, that way you see it from both Sylvia's POV and from the third person (mainly from Squall's view, sorta, seeing as you also hear his thoughts...) I also tried to go 3rd Person for Sylvia, but I feel as if she is me, mainly b/c she is, so I kept slipping up. I'm glad you like it, and thanks! I hope you stick with my story..._

_Thank you all! I hope more people read and review! I really like reading them, they give me some indication as to how I'm doing. For those of you who read, but don't reply, don't be a stranger! I don't bite, most times... ;) I don't bite reviewers, that's for sure. I have tons of hits, but only 5 reviews, as of now._

_Remember, if you review, I'll give you a cake of your choice of flavors. It'll be an invisible, virtual, tasty cake! Just tell me what flavor, and it's yours!_

_Anyway, more current news: I'm starting a new story! Same characters, different events. I'll still be writing The Wolf and the Lion (you know what? I'll just call it tWatL! So much quicker!), seeing as this story is one I REALLY want to finish. I'll just work on the other story when I'm suffering from writer's block. Hope you will look for it. I haven't put it up yet, but I'm thinking I'll call it The Wolf and the Knight. Either that or I choose the Knight. I'm not sure right now..._

_-sarahleonhart... you should stop talking. You know, leave the poor readers to their replies/thoughts. You're doing your random comment thing again..._

_Sorry! I'm going now! Remember, PLEASE REVIEW! No flames! (I'm starting to sound like Laguna, and I haven't even gotten to that point in the story yet...)_

_-SARAHLEONHART! GET OFF RIGHT NOW!_

_I'm going! I'm going! Till next time! Please review! Bu-bye!_

_-*sigh* Sorry. Keep reading, and send in you're reviews!_


	7. Chapter 6: To the Communications Tower?

Chapter Six: To the Communication Tower?

Zell slid off of my back, wobbly from the quick run. "Holy shit girl! You're fast!" he said as he slid to the ground by the fountain. Squall got off a bit less shaky.

"I didn't expect for you to do that," the brown-haired boy commented. I smiled my wolfish smile with my tongue lolling about.

"Did she carry you both on your back? While running? Through the soldiers?" Seifer asked, incredulously. I yipped, wagging my tail.

"And we killed all of the soldiers we passed," Zell said proudly, standing up. I looked at him. "Fine, Squall did." I walked up to him and licked his cheek.

"Anyway, I want you guys to scout around and make sure there aren't any more soldiers," Seifer said. It was times like these I wished I weren't a werewolf, because there were some things I seriously wanted to say to Seifer, not all of them nice.

Squall led the way to another road that was blocked by a car. A soldier was waiting on the other side. When his cover was blown, he started to cast fire on me, burning my fur. I rolled, putting out the flames, and when I got up, I was not a happy wolf.

Squall sliced the soldier's arm, and Zell punched him in the gut. I took that chance to jump on him. I grabbed the soldier's helmet in my jaws and twisted, breaking his neck.

We returned to Seifer, on the other side of the square. Zell noticed I just lay down, covering my nose with my paws.

"Sylvia? What's wrong?" I looked up at him, unable to smell him. My nose got burned, and I only smelled charred flesh. I whined, not liking this at all. I relied on my nose for a lot of things, like locating enemies, prey, or other members of my pack/team. Being unable to smell would be like my squad members being unable to see.

Squall came over, and kneeled beside me. "Sylvia, let me see it," he said softly. I reluctantly lifted my paws and showed them my nose. Zell winced, knowing from the little time he's known me how much I use my nose. Seifer came over and saw my charred nose. His shoulders started shaking as he chuckled silently.

"The mutt got her nose burned. Hehehehehe… What'll you do now?" Seifer taunted. I growled, and Zell stood up, punching Seifer in the nose. I jumped in front of Zell as Seifer retaliated with his blade, slicing deep into my shoulder. I yelped in pain, feeling the bite as Seifer pulled the trigger, cutting the blade deeper.

"Seifer! Enough! Keep acting this way and you might as well forget about ever becoming a SeeD!" Squall shouted, grabbing the other boy's sword hand as he came in for another slice.

Seifer snatched back his hand, glaring at the three of us. Then he turned his back toward us, watching the streets. Squall turned back toward me as I whimpered, the pain in my shoulder almost unbearable. Is his sword made of silver or something?

Zell took off his undershirt and held it to the cut on my shoulder as Squall cured my burned nose using Espuma magic. I sniffed, realizing I could smell again. I buried my nose into Squall's chest; I didn't think I'd smell his musky, minty, and sweet scent ever again. He chuckled softly, scratching behind my ears again. I let my tongue hang out in pleasure. I got up to look around and whined, pain spiking through my shoulder. I collapsed on the ground, whimpering, silently calling Seifer every name that popped in my head. I thought how Tom would react to hearing me talk like that, and I laughed wolfishly to myself.

"Was that…a laugh?" Squall asked me, raising an eyebrow in surprise. I grinned, then licked his cheek. "What are you laughing at, little pup?" he asked teasingly, tapping the top of my head. Zell looked at Squall like the brown haired boy had gone crazy. I tried to get up again, but Squall and Zell held me down. The blonde fighter gave me a potion as the swordsman casted cure on my shoulder. The wound closed and the pain lessened, but the fur didn't grow back, and there was a scar.

I tried to get up again, but Squall and Zell held me down still. I nipped their hands until they let me up. I kicked around until I was able to climb to my feet. I noticed Seifer was being followed by a stray dog, who was completely ignored by the squad leader.

The boy suddenly sighed. "Well, we're on standby 'til the enemy comes… Standby… How boring…" He continued to tap his blade against his shoulder. He looked behind him at us. "Hehehe, finally patched the mutt up, I see." I growled as I stretched the shoulder, working out the tightness that had been creeping in while it was being healed.

I decided to see how it would hold up in battle, so I looked at Squall, then back to the squad leader, then Squall again, hoping he got the message.

He did. Squall got up and wandered over to the fountain, sitting on the edge. He got his blade out and decided to clean it. Seifer looked over, to see what Squall was doing.

"Hey, you want to clean my blade, too?" Squall shook his head. "Too bad, you are gonna. It's an order from your squad leader," Seifer said, thrusting his gunblade into Squall's lap. That's what I was hoping he would do. As soon as his blade was out of reach, I leapt into the air and onto Seifer's back.

"What the hell?" Seifer managed to say, before his face hit the ground. "The hell was that for?" he asked, turning his head. Zell was doubled over with laughter, Squall chuckling as he continued to clean Seifer's blade.

The good news, my shoulder didn't twinge. The skin just felt a bit tight, like most scars do. The bad news, Seifer was pissed. I had just jumped on his back, of course he was.

I climbed off the boy's back and smiled at him, sitting down next to his arm. "Stupid bitch," he muttered. I laid across his back, holding him down. "Let me up!"

I did, when I heard the guns. Squall and Zell stood up, Seifer following as soon as I got up.

"Sounds like its starting," Squall commented. It was coming from the mountains, but it could easily move into the city.

"Bring it on," Seifer said, his voice cocky. He stood in the middle of the square, by the fountain, quite still.

I was restless. I wanted to chase something, anything! I saw a rat running across the open ground, and my hunter instincts kicked in. I ran after the rodent, completely forgetting my vow to not use my full speed in front of my squad members. In less than a second, I was on top of the rat, toying with it. Seifer came over and stabbed it through its back.

I looked at the swordsman, growling at him. Our eyes met, and it was Seifer who looked away first. He stormed over to the other members of Squad B. I followed, sulking. Now what was I supposed to chase?

* * *

Squall watched as Seifer turned back toward his direction. The stray dog followed Seifer, trying to catch his attention. It pawed at his coat and barked. Seifer turned to face the dog.

"Get outta here! Scram!" he shouted. The dog ignored his wishes and continued to try to get Seifer to pet him. Zell put his hand over his mouth to try and stifle the laugh he knew was coming.

Seifer stalked over to the side of the fountain and slashed the air rapidly with his blade.

"Hey! Galbadian soldiers! What are you waiting for? Come show me what you got!" he shouted into the empty square. He slashed the air a bit more, then lowered his gunblade. The only response to Seifer's demand was the stray dog, who barked.

Sylvia came over and laid her head on Squall's lap. He stroked her fur absently, lost in thought again.

After an hour or so, the members of Squad B got restless. Zell was pacing around the square, his hands deep in his pockets. Sylvia paced alongside Zell, her wolfish face looking as bored as Zell's. Squall kept looking down each street, being able to do so because of the strategic location of the square. Seifer was leaning against the fountain, tapping the flat of his blade against his shoulder. The stray dog was at the swordsman's feet.

Squall finished looking down each street. No sign of the enemy. "…Nothing," he reported. Seifer didn't look up, just kept tapping his blade against his shoulder.

"Still keeping us waiting…?" he said to no one in particular. He kept tapping, Zell and Sylvia kept pacing, Squall kept looking.

He looked at his watch. It was almost 5:30. He sighed. For a SeeD field exam, it was surprisingly boring.

Zell suddenly stopped pacing, punching the ground and cracking the brick. The dog jumped up and barked, startled. Sylvia looked at the fighter, then continued to pace.

"The HELL! Man…This is what I call boring. This ain't right, man!" Zell said, rising to his feet and looking at Squall. The brown-haired swordsman sighed, shaking his head. There wasn't anything to do. It wasn't as if Squall was having the time of his life, looking down each street hoping to see some sign of the enemy.

Zell resumed his pacing, once again beside Sylvia. Everything was quiet for a bit longer, until Seifer's impatience made him explode. He yelled, swiping the air with his blade again.

"That's it… I can't take it anymore!" he shouted. "What is this, some sort of dog training?" Seifer slashed the ground close to the dog, making it jump and run to the other side of the square, where it threw back its head and howled, three times. Sylvia joined it, adding her wilder howl to that of the dog.

Suddenly, Sylvia stopped howling, looking down one street, and ran to hide behind the fountain. Squall, Zell, and Seifer looked down the street, and seeing something moving, followed suit.

A Galbadian officer tip-toed into the square, looked around, then tip-toed down the street leading to the mountain path. A bunch of soldiers followed right after the first one, each soldier holding his armor and tip-toeing around. Once the last soldier disappeared from view, Sylvia stood up, and whined, pawing Seifer's leg, looking down the street where the Galbadian soldiers disappeared.

"It's the enemy…" Squall said as he got up. Zell stood up and looked around.

"Where the hell they goin'?" the blonde student asked as he folded his arms across his chest.

Seifer ran to the street the G-soldiers had snuck down. His eyes wandered down the street, across a stone bridge, up a path carved in the mountain side, and to a tower. Everyone looked up at the tower.

"Hey? What is that?" Zell pointed to the tower.

"Our next destination," Seifer replied, pointed his blade down the path.

"But…That's against orders!" Zell protested.

"Weren't you just saying how bored you were?" Seifer retorted. Zell looked at the squad leader, then at Squall, then Sylvia.

"Squall?" he asked. Sylvia couldn't speak her opinion vocally. Squall turned from the other members of his squad. Sylvia padded up to his left side.

"…I stand by the captain's decisions." Zell and Seifer looked at the swordsman, surprised.

"Captain's decision? You want to wreak some havoc too, don't you?" Seifer said as he walked up to his right side, putting his hand on Squall's shoulder, which Squall swatted off his shoulder. The boy looked his squad leader in the eyes.

"It's a good opportunity to test out my training. Thanks to you, I feel like I can take on anyone, even if they do fight dirty, like you," was the curt reply. Seifer's next comment was barely audible.

"You'll thank me when the time comes." Squall was tempted to punch the crap out of Seifer. Actually, had the blonde swordsman not been his squad leader, he would have knocked Seifer into next week.

"What the hell…" Zell said. His arms were crossed over his chest, a puzzled expression on his face. Squall looked at Sylvia as the wolf started to laugh her wolfish laugh again.

"I thought you guys didn't get along? You're like, all buddy-buddy now. And Sylvia, are you not going to protest? Listen. This ain't no ordinary battle. It's an exam, and important one. I'm tellin' ya, we have to stick to orders," Zell lectured the squad.

Seifer glared at the other blonde. "Fine then, you stay here. I don't need any boy scouts."

"What was that!" Zell retorted. He raised his fist as his whole body shook with anger.

"Zell, cool it. He's just trying to get at you," Squall said, rubbing his forehead. Zell looked between the two other boys, and, seeing he was outvoted, sighed and went along quietly as Squad B followed the G-soldiers on the cliff-side path.

As the squad got closer to the top of the path, Dollet soldiers were seen, some dead, others barely alive. Seifer ignored them, charging up the path. Sylvia, Squall noticed, looked longingly at the bloodied soldiers. When Seifer started running, her head snapped forward, watching him. Squall watched her uneasily, wondering if she'll chase him down.

She just bunched up her muscles, ready to chase Seifer's retreating figure, when a Dollet soldier grabbed Squall's leg. He jumped and had his weapon pointed at the man, when he realized it was one of the people that SeeDs were to protect. Zell was about to kick the man's head when Sylvia jumped in front of him.

"Please… Help me…" the Dollet soldier begged. Squall reached down to grab the man's hand when the soldier was, without warning, pulled back into the brush, screaming.

"What the HELL!" Zell shouted. "What's going on?" That brought Seifer back over here, just as Sylvia grabbed the man's coat and tugged, hard. The man was yanked from the brush, part of his leg missing. The wolf and man tumbled back, landing in a heap at the base of the cliff. Sylvia got up, shaking her coat out; the man stayed slumped over at the bottom of the cliff, groaning.

Just as she got up, a rustling in the bushes alerted the group to a new member to the gathering. Everyone turned as a giant snake slithered out of the bush. It hissed, seeing the group that kept it from its meal. Its snout was covered in fresh blood, flesh and shreds of the Dollet soldier's uniform hanging from its sharp teeth.

Everyone got ready to fight, the swordsmen readying their gunblades, Zell tightening his gloves, Sylvia raising her hackles and baring her teeth. The snake went for Seifer first, but before it could even reach the boy, Sylvia charged into its side, knocking it off course. It lifted its head, hissing at the large wolf.

Squall and Seifer then ran up at the giant snake, slashing at its head. Both blades sliced into the scales, drawing blood. Zell, not wanting to be left out, punched the monster in the nose, sending it sliding back. Sylvia, possibly going off of instincts, jumped on the snake's head, biting down just behind the monster's skull.

As the monster screeched, trying to shake off the wolf, another snake slithered out behind the group. Zell noticed it first, as he went to hit the first snake in the jaw.

"BEHIND YOU!" the blonde fist-fighter warned. He stopped his attack, turning around quickly to go after the new monster. He hit it in the nose, making the snake recoil.

While that was going on, Squall slashed at the snake in front of him, trying to get a critical hit in. He went for the snake's neck, hoping to finish it off quickly. Sylvia bit down harder, piercing the monster's scales and drawing blood. The monster hissed, shaking its head harder. Squall's blade missed, scratching the scales on its throat instead of slicing into them.

The boy looked around quickly to see where Seifer went, spotting him and Zell fighting off the snake behind him. Then, he turned his attention back to the snake that Sylvia was on top of. The snake was shaking its head, nearly hitting the cliff. Sylvia was being thrown around, her paws occasionally lifting off the monster, but she refused to let go. She dug her front paws' claws into the snake's scales, holding her into place.

Squall, seeing his chance, rushed the monster, his blade sparking along the ground. As he reached the monster, he jumped up, drawing his blade into an uppercut slice. The blade cut through the thinner scales underneath the giant snake's jaw. Seeing the weak spot, Squall shoved his blade up into the snake's jaw. The blade went through the skin, into the mouth, and (after a shove) out through the top of its head. The snake screeched, then fell down, dead.

Once he made sure Sylvia was ok, Squall turned to help out the other two members of his squad, only to find Zell sitting on the snake's still body, a large scorch mark right where its heart was. Sylvia flopped on the ground, panting, as Zell and Squall checked on the Dollet soldier.

"Thank…you…" the soldier said. As he spoke, he gasped, in pain, but continued. "The Galbadians… went up to the…communication tower… On top… of that… this place has… always been a… breeding place for… monsters…"

Squall gave the man a potion and an elixir after the soldier finished talking, then got up. He looked at the members of his squad and, when he saw no serious injuries, went over to the slain monsters. He looked over the snakes carefully, hoping to see something that would tell him what they were, other than some big-ass snakes.

Seifer, bored with the proceedings, started back up the path. Zell looked between the two swordsmen, then decided to stick with Squall and Sylvia. The latter of the two got up, stretched, and padded over to Squall. She pulled on the boy's jacket, startling him. He looked at the wolf, then where she was trying to pull him.

"Damn it, Seifer!" he muttered, starting up the path. Sylvia looked at Zell, who shrugged, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and followed. The werewolf heaved a sigh, following right behind.

* * *

I followed the boys, annoyed by Seifer's impatience. I can't believe he just walked off, ignoring the danger that, as the Dollet soldier hinted, could be lurking around every corner. And, I was surprised when Squall didn't use scan magic to see what he was facing.

See, as a wolf, I couldn't use magic, so I was the only one who knew the snake was an Anacondaur. I would have known how much health it had if someone used scan, but no one thought about that. Well, the snakes were dead, that's all that matters.

As I was mentally ranting, I noticed we reached the turn in the path, around which Seifer would be laying down above the cliff watching the soldiers in front of the tower. I hurried around the bend, leaving the others to catch up as I lay on my stomach and crawled forward until I was next to Seifer. He glanced at me, nodded, looked up the path, and then continued to watch the G-Soldiers.

"So, the mutt joins the knight," he whispered. I growled quietly at the swordsman as the rest of Squad B rounded the bend.

"What's going on?" Squall asked as he joined me and Seifer on the ground.

"I don't know, why don't you listen?" Seifer replied.

"Smart ass punk," Zell breathed. No one else heard him, unless they were just ignoring him. I laughed wolfishly as the soldiers below us talked about repairs that were either finished, almost done, being worked on, or haven't been started yet. Squall got up, I followed his example. He crossed his arms, frowning as he thought.

"Repairs? What do they what that has to be repaired?" the boy asked.

"I don't know. See ya!" Seifer said, running down the path and scaring the soldiers.

"That stupid son of a bitch!" Zell said, shaking with barely suppressed anger.

"Squad B? Squad B Captain?" a voice asked. It was childish, one that would belong to a girl who was hyper, like what I always imagined Selphie's voice to be like…

Just as I thought that, a girl, not much older than me, came running down the cliff, slipped, fell, and picked herself up. She wore the same uniform I had on before I changed, with a yellow scarf. Her light brown hair was short and turned up at the corners in a very childish fashion. Her eyes were innocent, wide, and a deep brown. Yup, that was definitely Selphie.

She jumped over to us, looked the squad over, then asked "Are you Squad B?" Squall nodded.

"Where's the captain?" Squall looked down the cliff, and pointed at the tower, just as Seifer came running out, chasing some G-soldiers.

"Squad B Captain! Wait!" the girl cried out. Seifer ignored the cry, running back in the tower. The girl sighed and plopped down on the ground, her head hanging. She then looked at the rest of the squad members, overlooking me.

"Well, let's go! Oh, by the way, I'm Selphie!" she said, picking herself up off the ground. Squall took the liberty of introducing the squad.

"This is Zell, I'm Squall, and the wolf beside you is Sylvia." Selphie patted my head, causing my ears to flatten off to the sides.

"Now, come on! I have new orders to give to the captain!" the hyperactive girl proclaimed as she jumped off the cliff. Squall and Zell watched her, startled. I looked after her longingly, the call of the moon making me want to chase anything that ran.

I didn't, mainly because a jump like that would probably cause me to twist a paw or break a bone, even with my balance and invulnerability. So, I ended up leading Squad B down the path. In front of the communications tower, Selphie was jumping up and down, obviously anxious to deliver her message.

"Let's go, slowpokes!" she shouted. I heard Squall sigh behind me. Couldn't blame him. Selphie was just too much… everything! Besides, actually being in the exam was a lot more intense, tiring, and terrifying than just sitting behind the controller.

Selphie waited just long enough for us to reach her before she took off into the tower.

"She's even worse than Zell," Squall said to me. Zell heard that.

"Hey! I resent that!" he started. I growled at the other cadets, who stopped squabbling (it was really Zell squabbling, Squall was quiet) and followed me even as I followed Selphie into the tower.

I was starting to realize why Squall lived inside his shell. It would be very difficult for me to live with these kids, at least right now. Suddenly being thrust in the midst of this group without growing up with them would bring some of the toughest people, crying, to their knees.

* * *

Squall could feel his patience wearing thin. It started with Seifer, Zell made it worse. Now Selphie and her message? He was ready to crack. If it weren't for Ifrit, he probably would have. Ifrit was the only thing keeping him sane, although he wanted to get out and break something.

Squall followed the she-wolf submissively, though Ifrit thought Squall shouldn't allow Sylvia to lead.

(-Don't you see? That stupid wench is trying to push you from the position you were meant to be in!-) Ifrit snarled.

_Fine, let her. I never said I wanted to be in charge, anyway. How was I meant to be in that position?_ Squall mentally retorted. Ifrit snorted.

(-Ha! A human who doesn't want to be in charge? Ridiculous!-)

_Screw you. I never asked for your opinion. Now shut up so I can focus on the mission._

(-We'll talk later, then. This ain't over-) Ifrit warned.

Sylvia must have seen a flicker of something on his face because she came over and nosed the teenage boy's hand.

"I'm fine. Ifrit's just being temperamental," Squall replied to her worried expression. The wolf gave the teen boy a look that told him that she would pursue the subject later. He sighed as he took the last few steps into the tower.

"He's not here!" Selphie's wail was what greeted him as he stepped in the communication tower. Squall rubbed his forehead as he looked around the tower.

There was hardly anything in the tower, just a lift and a lot of dust. Some of the dust had been recently disturbed, footprints visible in the thick dust leading around the back of and to the lift in the middle of the tower.

"Do you think he went up?" the messenger girl asked as she looked at the lift.

"How should I know? I'm not Seifer," the swordsman retorted.

"Sourpuss," the brunette muttered. Zell started chuckling, and Sylvia did her strange wolfish laugh. "Anyway, let's go up! I have to deliver this message!"

The hyperactive girl practically ran on to the lift, leaving Squad B to follow. The lift was little more than a platform connected to a large column in the middle of the tower, with some mechanism built in the column to move the lift. Absolutely no walls to prevent the occupants from falling.

Squall walked onto the lift, Zell following. The swordsman sighed, overwhelmed by the events of the day so far. He also knew that there was still more to come… He noticed that Zell was looking at Sylvia, who was eying the lift nervously. She shifted her weight from side to side, lifting her front paws nervously one at a time.

"You comin'?" Zell asked. The rust colored wolf shook her head uncertainly as her eyes met Squall's. He could read the panic hidden in their golden depths, as well as another, stranger being. Zell caught on to the hidden emotion emanating from Sylvia.

"Hey, don't worry. I'll hold on to you, make sure you don't fall. Come on," Zell said soothingly. Sylvia started to tentatively walk forward silently.

Squall found it unnerving that she could move so quietly. When he walked across the old metal floor it had groaned a bit, but this girl walked across it without it making a sound. She had to be heavier than he was; she easily took Seifer down, just by jumping on him. And when a normal dog's claws would have clicked against the metal, Sylvia's claws didn't make a sound. When such a big creature makes no noise, it would shake some people up.

Zell slowly kneeled on the platform as the large wolf got closer. When she got on the lift and situated herself so she'll be in the center, Zell wrapped his arms around her. Squall felt an unknown and previously unfelt emotion rush through him. He wanted to attack the young teen holding the werewolf.

_What's with me? Why do I feel these emotions?_ he asked himself as he tried to shake off the feeling.

"So, are we going up?" Selphie asked. He looked at the other three on the lift, Sylvia crouching in the middle, Zell holding her, Selphie on the far right side.

"Up," he replied. As Selphie started the machine up, Squall clenched his fist when Zell held the wolf tighter. Ifrit was the one who understood what the teenage boy was feeling, and he started to laugh, his loud voice ringing through the swordsman's head.

_What's so funny?_ Squall asked the Fire God, irritated.

(-You're jealous!-) Ifrit laughed. Squall kept that at the back of his mind, trying to ignore both the GF's booming laughs and Zell's arms wrapped around Sylvia. He took a deep breath to calm himself, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead.

"This is sooooo cool!" Selphie squealed. Squall looked at the girl. She was looking over the edge of the lift.

"Be careful, or you'll fall," Zell mocked, putting on a fake-serious voice.

"Nu-uh! No I won't!" came Selphie's reply. Even so, she backed away from the edge, still watching the ground get further away. Sylvia laughed, making Squall smile. He enjoyed listening to her strange laugh, but he wiped away the smile before anyone looked at him.

* * *

I glanced back at the socially challenged teenage boy behind Zell and me, pleased to see he was smiling. Unfortunately, the smile was wiped away before I could enjoy it more. I sighed, feeling slightly safer in Zell's arms.

I was mentally kicking myself for being such a wuss over a lift, but a werewolf doesn't do well when falling 35 feet, more or less. That's a story for later. Although I hated being such a wuss, I really enjoyed the emotions that ghosted across Squall's face as Zell held me. I decided to test him.

Half way up, I turned my head and licked Zell's cheek. It was only a thank-you lick, but I noticed Squall didn't like that. His face had that cute look when someone was angry and confused as to why. Neither of us knew why he was angry, but I enjoyed the emotions playing across his face. Suddenly, I got an idea.

_Shiva? _I asked my GF. I could feel her restlessness. She couldn't be summoned because I couldn't cast magic, and she was missing the action. I decided to give her something to do.

((Yes, Sylvia?)) came the reply.

_Can you do me a favor? I have something I need Squall to do, but I don't have any way to tell him._

((What do you need?))

_I need you to junction to Squall and tell him to use scan as soon as the monster appears. Tell him it doesn't matter how many we have, or if they're junctioned to some stat, we need to know this monster's data._

((Of course.)) Shiva's voice was warm with motherly affection. Normal people would be annoyed by this, but I didn't mind. I never had a mother to show me this kind of affection. ((Shall I stay with Squall, or come back?))

_Well, you're the only way I can communicate with my squad, so could you come back once he gets the message?_ I replied.

((Yes. If I can find out what Ifrit said to Squall earlier I'll tell you,)) she added mischievously as her voice faded, then she was gone.

The ride was boring, just Squall looking at Zell venomously, Selphie bouncing in place with energy that would probably fuel the town of Balamb for a month, and Zell just holding me in place, stroking my back calmingly. Shiva returned just as we reached the top of the communication tower.

((He was confused. Squall said he'd do it, but there probably was no reason to worry,)) the ice queen reported.

_What about their conversation?_ I questioned.

((Neither of them would tell me what was said.))

_Damn it! Guess I'll have to talk to him later._

We got off the lift and, just as I knew he would, Major Biggs was just finishing repairs on the communication portion of the tower.

"There! Repairs are done!" he shouted. He sounded relived. I took a good look at him. He looked slightly different from the game. He still wore the metal helmet with visor and vest, as well as armor on his arms that had a machine gun. His jumpsuit was dark red, and he had boots, just like all the other Galbadian Soldiers.

The only difference was Biggs' hair, which was longer than expected. It hung against his neck, not even reaching his shoulder. It was dark brown, almost black, just a bit darker than Squall's. A lock had gotten away from the rest of his hair, and lay beside his right eye. It looked like Biggs tried to keep all of his hair back as he put on his helmet, but that lock fell away from the others.

Anyway, Major Biggs pressed a button, causing the old machine underneath us to roar to life. I heard it first, but the others soon heard it, as well.

((What is it?)) Shiva asked.

'Hold on, it's coming,' I replied. The rumbling got louder, to the point of it hurting my ears, and I whined quietly. I tried to cover my ears, but since I was a wolf, I didn't have hands. The sounds only got louder, and my ears hurt like hell. Finally Zell noticed my pain and saw me trying to cover my ears. He knelt down beside me again and covered my ears for me. I sighed in relief as the loud sounds below us were dulled.

Squall and Selphie were looking around for where the sounds were coming from. Squall turned around just as a large cylinder shot up behind us. It was locked in place by some unknown contraption. As it settled, Zell pulled his hands away from my ears and stood up to look at the contraption.

Squall, Selphie, and Zell jumped as three blades opened up from the cylinder and fanned out to form a dish. Then, antenna grew out of the center of the dish. Many antennas of varying lengths grew, and each had a ball of light forming on the ends. The lights grew, then shot out from the antenna. As the lights from each antenna shot out, the rays merged, forming one single ray of light.

Squall was the first to react, being a true leader, although he didn't realize it.

"What are you doing?" the swordsman shouted at the Galbadian major. Biggs turned around and retorted, angered.

"Likewise MISTER! What are YOU doing here?" Biggs reacted with anger first, then reason.

"Uh…wait…What happened to the soldiers below?" Biggs finally realized we weren't supposed to be here. "WEDGE! Get rid of these twerps!" the major ordered, pointing toward the group. "…Wedge? …W…Wedge?" he looked around, finally realizing that Lieutenant Wedge wasn't there. I knew he was off patrolling the rest of the tower. Major Biggs had ignored Wedge, so he didn't know what I did.

Biggs turned back to the SeeD cadets blocking the lift and started to edge through the group.

"Well, ah, my job is done, so I'll be on my way. Move it. I said move it!" Biggs shouted at Squall. Zell was near the edge of the tower, Selphie was next to the column supporting the satellite dish, and Squall was blocking the lift, so I decided to go next to the control panel Biggs had fixed.

Biggs had just gotten to the space where the lift was when the lift came back up, carrying Seifer up as well. The blonde swordsman slashed Biggs' hand, causing him to drop a device he was holding.

"What the… What do you think you're doing?" Biggs' snapped at the blonde in front of him.

"You're not going anywhere," Seifer said callously. Biggs backed up at Seifer's tone, not paying attention to where he was going. He ended up backing into me, which caused me to growl. I was tired of people doing that to me.

The major jumped and spun around, startled. He saw me, then turned so he could look at both me and the other SeeD cadets. He kept his eyes on me most the time. That made me smile; at least he knew who was the most dangerous.

I edged closer to the major as my wolf got more excited. I tried to control her, but the scent of Biggs' fear was too much and my control slipped. I lunged for the major, and my jaws snapped shut where his arm had been. Biggs' had enough sense to move his arm.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Biggs screeched. "What are you doing? Get your…MUTT away from me!" That pissed me off. Seifer has been calling me 'mutt' all through the exam, and I'm sick of it. I am not a mutt, I am an omega werewolf, one of the most valued and highest ranking werewolves.

So, naturally, I lowered my head with ears back, teeth bared, and hackles raised. I stalked forward, no one but Biggs moving for fear of provoking me. I growled as I idly realized I was no longer in control.

* * *

Squall was shocked by the display of ferocity Sylvia was showing. He never expected this much aggressiveness from the strong-willed, quiet girl. But, he thought Seifer was even more shocked. The blonde swordsman was ridged, hardly daring to breathe.

As the major continued to back up, Squall watched how the wolf moved. Her actions weren't as planned as before, more uncontrolled, more unpredictable. Sylvia continued her advance on Biggs, who was starting to turn so they were headed back toward the fixed panel.

Quick as a whip, Seifer ran up behind Sylvia and charged the commander.

"Shit! Seifer, no!" Zell shouted as he ran to stop the swordsman.

'That idiot. He doesn't realize how bad this could turn out,' Squall told Ifrit.

(-Obviously. Hey, can we just get this over with? I'm bored-) the GF retorted.

'Fine.' Squall started to summon Ifrit while Sylvia lunged at Seifer. The swordsman dodged the attack, then started to shout at the rust colored wolf. Selphie, who realized the danger everyone was in, slowly made her way to the major, who had been edging back toward the lift.

The normally hyperactive girl was surprisingly calm in the midst of the chaos surrounding her. She finally reached Biggs, then used her flail to bring him down.

"Wha…" was all that he got out before he got a mouthful of metal.

"Major Biggs, are the repairs complete, sir?" Everyone looked as a new voice announced his arrival.

"Sir! What's the enemy doing up here?" Lieutenant Wedge exclaimed as he ran to help his fallen major. That caused Sylvia to attack him, which made Seifer mad because she was no longer paying him any attention. That caused Zell to have to knock him out with a well-place punch to the head, after which the blonde teen pulled the Squad B captain over to the lift.

As soon as the captain was out of the way, Ifrit appeared in a fiery blast, causing everyone near Biggs and Wedge to jump back. The Fire God roared, then jumped up high, bringing up a giant rock, probably from the Fire Cavern. The GF roared again as he bent his body back. Ifrit hit the boulder with enough force to break through the stone bridge that leads to the city. The boulder sped toward both the lieutenant and the major, crushing them beneath its flaming weight. Ifrit disappeared in a flash of more fire, then the members of Squad B and the messenger girl appeared back on the tower.

"Squall, look out!" Selphie warned. The swordsman looked up and brought his gunblade up to protect his face just as Wedge swung his own blade down. Zell looked between Selphie and Squall and decided to help Selphie with Biggs.

Squall pushed the Galbadian back and attacking in the same motion. His gunblade went out to the side, and he brought it across the soldier's chest, scratching the metal armor vest that Wedge wore.

The Galbadian suddenly dropped. The reason was soon apparent, as Sylvia was seen behind Wedge. She had bitten right behind his knee, and caused him to collapse. With Wedge temporarily dealt with, Squall and Sylvia turned to the major.

That was when a giant gust of wind caused the two Galbadians to be blown to other side of the tower.

* * *

_Ok, if you're wondering where I've been, I've just been bored. I've had this chapter written for a while, but I just haven't wanted to get on and post it... Sorry... Um, I also have a question..._

_-Want me to ask?_

_Go for it, Sylv._

_-Ok, now, I want you all to be honest. What do you think? Should sarahleonhart keep writing this exact fanfic, or should she re-write this story?_

_See, I was thinking that I could re-write it, keeping the characters and everything. Like, keeping the story of Sylv's life the same, but changing what she tells Cid and them... Also, I was thinking about making Sylv a human, not a werewolf. So, be completely honest with us. Should I keep this up, or go back and re-write it?_

_-Well, I'll still be a wolf, but not a werewolf, I'll just be a human. I'll have the same personality, but, well, you understand; I think..._

_So, tell us what you think. When I tally up the results, which ever has more votes is the one I'll do. And, please, be honest. How did I do on the fight scenes? I'm not a violent person by nature, so fight scenes are difficult for me..._

_-Remember, a review = a free invisible, virtual cake of your choice of flavor!_

_(If you think I should change the story, just reply with "change it" or something. To keep the same, reply "keep it" or something. And, please tell me how I'm doing!)_

_And, for all of you who read, but dont review, Please do review! you don't have to have an account, I'll accept anonymous reviews! Please! I'd like to know how many people really like this fanfic!_

_-So, Until next time..._

_See ya later! Hasta Luego! and all that mumbo jumbo!_

_~sarahleonhart ;)_

_~Sylvia 3_


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: This is the last one I'm gonna do. Honestly, do you think I own Final Fantasy VIII? If I did, things would've turned out differently. Though, I do own a copy of the game, but it is being stupid right now. I only own myself, a copy of the game, Sylvia, Krasner, and anyone/thing that either didn't appear or happen in the game. (If I did own FF8, Squall, Laguna, and Seifer would be stuffed in my closet right now!)**

Chapter 7

"What? Waaaaaaaahhhh!" Biggs screamed. Somehow, all of the SeeD candidates managed to not be blown away. Squall tried to look through the slicing wind when he felt another presence in his mind, one not Ifrit.

((Squall!)) the ice queen shouted.

'What?'

((Remember to use scan! This is the monster!)) Shiva reminded.

'Fine. Do you know what's going on with Sylvia?' As soon as he asked, Squall wondered why he was asking, why he even cared. He didn't tell that to Shiva or Ifrit, though.

((Yeah, she's been overpowered by her wolf. She's now completely at the mercy of her instincts.)) Shiva sounded worried.

(-What did I tell you?-) the loud booming voice told Squall. (-That wench is trouble. She even turned on Seifer. What do you think it'll take for her to turn on you?-) Ifrit asked.

((She would never turn on Squall. You haven't been in her head. She only turned on Seifer, even when Zell was running up behind her, in case you haven't noticed)) Shiva retorted. Ifrit snorted, but didn't say anymore.

'Enough! Something's coming!' Squall said, then voiced the latter to his team. "Look out! Something's coming down from the top of the tower!"

((I'm staying with you. Sylvia can take care of herself. Besides, she won't listen to me, not the way she is.)) Ifrit grumbled something about how women are always interrupting as Squall readied Revolver, his gunblade model.

Selphie met the swordsman's eyes, then nodded, seeing something of a plan forming in his mind. She looked at Zell, who got the message. Then, the messenger girl looked at Sylvia, who was growling at the shape becoming visible.

It was a giant monster, that much was seen. It looked like it had a stinger, and giant arms that were longer than they were thick. Attached to the arms were large claw-like hands, each with three or four fingers. The head was like a ball of clay some kid punched beyond recognition. It had a long bottom jaw. There were two bat-like wings attached to its back.

As the wind died down, the monster was revealed to be purple in color, with red hands and wings. The creature's face was orange-ish, and the stinger-like thing that took up the lower half of its body was a dark brown color. The first thing the new creature did was swipe at the cadets, trying to grab at least one.

Zell ducked below it, Selphie jumped back, and Squall slashed at the claw-like hand with Revolver. Unfortunately, the creature grabbed Sylvia, who didn't realize what the monster was doing.

The thing picked her up and dropped her from a height of about 10 feet. Sylvia yelped slightly as she hit the metal, rolling over to get back on her feet. Squall then used scan magic, revealing the creature, Elvoret's, stats. It is immune to poison, strong against magic, and has 2430 HP.

"Holy crap!" Zell shouted.

"Well, get to work!" Selphie shouted back. She followed her own advice, running up to the flying demon monster. She stopped suddenly while at the same time releasing one end of her giant nunchakus, hitting Elvoret squarely in the jaw. The monster grunted, startled, then retorted by trying to grab the small SeeD cadet.

Sylvia, who was studying the giant monster (guess she still has enough human in her to think logically, sorta, Squall thought), jumped on its hand, biting down and drawing blood before it could hit Selphie. The brunet girl jumped back, then attacked again, hitting Elvoret in the eye.

Zell ran up the monster's needle-like abdomen, jumping up and hitting the monster in the face, successfully breaking its nose. Squall followed close behind the blonde martial artist's attack, slicing into Elvoret's upper arm and almost completely severing it. The monster screeched in agony, blood flowing from the deep injury.

The demon-like boss glared at the brunet teen and icy blue eyes met greenish-yellow eyes for a moment. Squall saw a flicker of… something as the human and the beast matched each other's gaze. Just as suddenly as it happened, the moment was gone as Selphie, Zell, and Sylvia attacked.

Zell went for the head, Sylvia went for the monster's uninjured arm, and Selphie tried to blind Elvoret with Blind magic. While that was happening, Squall focused on drawing from the monster. He discovered some doubles, then happened upon something that startled him.

"A GF!" he shouted in surprise.

"Well, draw it!" Zell shouted back from the monster's head. Not but a moment later, Elvoret shook its head vigorously to rid itself of the bothersome, not to mention loud, teen. The martial artist's eyes widened in surprise as he flew over Squall and icy blue eyes met bright blue ones, Zell's mouth forming a small "o."

Suddenly, Sylvia was right behind the blonde (temporarily flying) fighter, preventing him from slamming into the ground, or worse, falling off the edge of the tower, and certain death if those sharp rocks at the bottom of the cliff were anything to go by. Zell looked between where Sylvia had been attacking the giant demon-like monster, and the wolf now supporting him.

"Huh? How the hell'd you get over here?" the blonde cadet asked as he placed a hand on the wolf's back to support himself.

Squall tuned out the fighter, trying to ignore the emotions running through him as he drew the newly-discovered GF from Elvoret.

Zell ran past the swordsman and continued his original onslaught, in the same spot. As soon as the new GF was acquired, Squall joined in on the attack. Sylvia was already attacking the huge monster, though how the large wolf ran past the attentive SeeD cadet was beyond even him.

As the swordsman joined in against the purple-and-red flying demon monster, Squall severed the last bit of muscle, skin, and tendon that held the unusable, clawed hand to its arm. The bite from Revolver slicing through the flesh made Elvoret screech in pain and anger.

Squall started as he heard tapping on the metal supporting the SeeD cadets' weight. He immediately recognized it as 'forest code,' the secret code that all Gardens used to pass messages to other members in a squad without talking or giving away your team's position in the field. He looked up to see Selphie tapping her nunchaku on the ground to pass the message.

Zell quickly tapped out a reply, as did Squall. Selphie nodded vigorously as delight lit her face up to a previously unimaginable level. Squall sent Shiva back to Sylvia with the plan, then tapped out a question as Sylvia and Zell provided a distraction so Selphie and Squall could finish their 'conversation.'

As soon as the message was tapped, everyone broke off and got in position. Sylvia went to Elvoret's rear, Zell on Squall's far left, near the edge of the tower (again), Selphie on Squall's far right, near the support for the dish. Squall stayed where he was. Sylvia, acting on an impulse, ran at Zell, telling him to switch places without talking, growling, howling, or any other action.

The plan went into action almost as soon as Zell reached Elvoret's unprotected back. The Trabian exchange student, the Balamb resident, and the werewolf from another dimension suddenly attacked, the latter two jumping on the monster while the girl with the nunchakus repeatedly attacked the creature's chest.

While the others served as a distraction, Squall started summoning the temperamental Fire God. As the GF was being summoned, Sylvia went in, aiming for the sure kill, the neck. Zell tried to keep Elvoret's attention on him so Sylvia would be able to attack, but the flying purple-and-red monster had other ideas.

The monster with the bat-like wings (one was torn from Sylvia's jaws, there was a good sized chunk of leather missing from the appendage) sucked in a deep breath, filling its lungs to the bursting point. Then the air was released in a violent gust that hit the SeeD cadets currently attacking it.

Squall had to grit his teeth and block out the pained cries so he could summon his GF. It took all of his will power not to go running to the werewolf's side as she yelped in pain. Chunks of fur and flesh were being blown around; more were being torn off of the golden-eyed wolf by the powerful blast.

The brunet fixed his jaw in place as the wind storm summoned by Elvoret died down. As the wind that held her up stopped, Sylvia fell, unable to support her weight on her legs. The cold SeeD cadet sighed and cast a cure spell on the injured wolf.

VVVVVVVV

I could barely contain my whines as the wind ripped my fur out then slashed mercilessly at the unprotected flesh. The assault ended, but my pain continued. I only realized I couldn't cast magic as a wolf earlier this afternoon, and now I was really cursing my 'condition.'

Seeing as being a werewolf made injuries (besides those made by silver weapons) heal faster, I gained incredible speed and strength, and my hearing, sight, and smell were enhanced exponentially, many people would see it as a blessing. Until, that is, they found out you wouldn't age like the rest of the population.

Meaning, unless I were killed or got a mate that was a werewolf, I would out live him. So Squall and I couldn't be together… I didn't want him to go through that. I'd seen too many people who lived half lives because they found the perfect mate, but the person didn't want to become a werewolf.

Besides, not every person could deal with the sudden change that the wolf brought. The hunger, the need to hunt, the focusing only on the present… That was the hardest part; you couldn't look to the future easily. The wolf tried to prevent it.

I was jolted back to awareness by the shock of having my wounds heal suddenly. Normally, depending on the depth of the injuries, the wounds would heal between a couple hours for small cuts and scrapes to a week or so for deep wounds. Silver inflicted wounds (bullets, sabers, etc) could take between a week to more than a month. Longer if there is silver traces left in the wound. But, you didn't want silver to be left in a wound. It made the wolf…err…act…different.

"Sylvia! Sylvia, c'mon! Get up!" Zell said frantically. "Squall's summonin' Ifrit NOW!" That got me up, unbalancing the blonde who had been leaning over me. I grabbed his shirt with my teeth, pulling him on my back again as I ran to Selphie and pulled her on my back as well.

"Are you sure she can get out of the way in time, what with our extra weight and all?" the hyper-active girl asked. I growled but Zell waved it off.

"Trust me, Sylvia ran from the pub downtown to the Central Square in less than a minute, with me, Squall, and the gunblade." I could hear the smug tone in his voice, which made me smile smugly in a wolfish way.

"Well, can you move a bit faster, please? I don't wanna get fried to a crisp by Ifrit!" Selphie said, panicking a bit. I heaved an exaggerated sigh, then trotted to Squall.

The brunet SeeD cadet looked me in the eyes as the two teens clambered off of my back. I let my tongue hang out as I sat down and smiled a 'true' smile, as true as it could be on a wolf's face, at least. My tail twitched from side to side, not quite wagging.

His face twitched a bit, the smallest hint of a smile hanging on his lips. Then the moment was gone as Ifrit appeared, causing my new team to step back. I growled at the GF, remembering how it tried to injure my Squall…

The Fire God roared at the monster who dared to threaten his summoner. He jumped up, a giant piece of rock following him. Both the GF and the rock started to flicker with barely noticed flames that got bigger the higher they went. Once his jump stopped making him go higher, Ifrit roared, cuffed his hands, then hammered the rock, sending it towards Elvoret. His job done, the GF roared once more for good measure; returning to Squall's conscience.

The damage from the attack was greater than what I would have believed possible. Elvoret's wings caught fire, burning the leathery skin that kept it flying. Without the skin to help it fly, the demonic monster fell to the metal walkway in a heap of skin, wing bones, and blood. Even so, the monster still fought.

The weakness that was so apparent in Elvoret riled my wolf up once again. If the smell of blood was tempting before, it was unbearable now. I couldn't hold myself back any longer, jumping on the fallen monster before me. I went for the kill spot again, aiming, obviously, to kill. Elvoret brought up its uninjured hand up to stop me, but Zell punched it down, allowing me to continue my flight through the air.

I reached Elvoret, landing on its chest. It glared at me and sucked in a deep breath. I didn't give it a chance to release its 'storm breath' again, instead tearing the creature's throat. My wolf gave a happy jump as Elvoret's sweet life liquid caressed my tongue, and I had to use every bit of my will to not eat the monster right then.

Elvoret gave one last gargled screech, then its arm fell from its position it had been in, and the monster's head fell back. I yelped in surprise as the creature started to disintegrate under my paws, and I jumped off the now dead monster as it disappeared in a cloud of sparkling dust.

My attention went from the dust that was Elvoret to Squall, who had gone over to our squad leader. Seifer was still KO'd, so the brunet pulled out a vile that contained a phoenix down. I growled as I trotted over to the two rivals, stopping the brunet from using the precious item on the uncaring blonde before us. Instead, I nipped his upper arm, causing him to yelp in pain. My job accomplished, I trotted away with Seifer's shouts following me.

"What the hell? What'd you do that for? Are you listening to me? Hey! Get back here! That's an order!"

I ignored the 'order,' instead going to Zell to check on him now that my bloodlust has subsided a bit. He had a couple scratches and a broken hand, probably from punching Elvoret in the nose. I did the same with Selphie, who had some bruises and scratches. Then I pulled both teens onto my back despite protests from Zell, carrying them both to the lift.

When Selphie saw Seifer was up, she jumped off my back and ran to him, tripping over some loose metal. Seifer ignored the clattering of metal, instead tapping Hyperion, his gunblade, on his shoulder and facing the lift.

"Squad B captain? I have new orders." At this Seifer turned to the small SeeD cadet from Squad A, a raised eyebrow all she needed to continue. Selphie saluted him, then went on. "All SeeD members and SeeD candidates are to withdraw at 1900 hours. Assemble at the shore!" At this new advancement, Seifer reacted.

"What? But there are still enemies around!" the blonde swordsman shouted.

"The order to withdraw takes priority," Squall quoted. "Besides, I don't want to miss the vessel." I growled in agreement, nodding my head sharply and glaring at the blonde in front of us. Seifer sighed in resignation.

"Fine. What time did'ja say?" he asked, turning to Selphie. She saluted again, then repeated her order.

"Like I said. All SeeD members and SeeD candidates are to withdraw at 1900 hours. Assemble at the shore!"

"1900 hours…" he looked at his watch, then back at the group. "We only have 30 minutes. You got 30 minutes to get to the shore! Better run!" the immature teen said, getting on the lift and activating it before anyone could stop him.

"Heeey! Wait for us!" Selphie shouted after him. The only reply was my growl and Seifer's laughter echoing up the tower. Zell shook with rage again.

"Who the hell does he think he is?" he said angrily. Squall shrugged, turning to the lift as it returned.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask him?" Zell and I both sighed at the brunet's uncaring attitude before getting on the center of the lift. Selphie followed, and stood by the button to control the lift. Zell held me again, and this time I didn't have to turn my head to see the anger on Squall's face; an emotion that was soon wiped off and replaced by his usual mask.

"Wanna go down?" Selphie asked. Squall's reply was a nod, seeing as he was lost in thought.

The lift started down, and I grew more and more restless as we got closer and closer to solid ground. I wouldn't tell anyone, but the battles on the tower scared me because I could see through the walkway's bottom, straight to the bone-breaking ground and the ocean that hid sharp rocks.

I continually shifted around, trying to get into a comfortable position, but couldn't find one. I gave up and shook off Zell's protective arms, walking carefully over to Squall. I sat at his side, my tail wrapped around my paws. He looked down at me, and I looked up at him. Neither of us had far to look, I reached his shoulder when sitting.

Squall's only reaction was a raised eyebrow, but his steely blue eyes betrayed the relief and pleasure that me shaking off Zell and sitting by him gave to the brunet. The swordsman scratched behind my ears, causing me to lean into his touch. My tongue hung out and my tail twitched in happiness.

Zell, seeing this, put a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter, and Selphie gripped her stomach as she doubled over with laughter. Squall ignored the others and kept scratching my ear, until we reached the bottom of the lift.

VVVVVVV

The SeeD cadets got off the lift, (Sylvia jumped off before the lift even reached the ground) and walked out of the communications tower, glad that the exam was almost over. Squall looked around for Seifer, but gave up his scouting when it soon became apparent the blonde had gone ahead.

"Let's go," the brunet said. The group had started up the hill when Sylvia, who was next to Squall, stopped suddenly and faced the direction they had just come from. Everyone looked and was startled when a giant mechanical spider with huge steel (or maybe an even stronger metal) mandibles and four huge and very sharp legs jumped off the top of the communications tower right in their path.

"The hell? What is that?" Zell asked. He looked at the machine before them in confusion and irritation.

Squall, remembering Shiva's request from Sylvia, used a quick scan spell.

"X-ATM092. Weak against thunder, 5583 HP. Made by the G-Army, codenamed 'Black Widow,' has nanobots that repair it," Squall told them quickly.

Immediately, Zell started summoning Quezacotl while Selphie cast double on both herself and Squall. The brunet used that to use a double thunder on the machine while Sylvia tried to distract it from the group so they could take it down.

The wolf jumped on the Black Widow's 'head' and started digging in the wiring visible just between the head and the body. She tore a bunch of wires apart and made a bunch more susceptible to an attack. She jumped off just as the machine reared up to crush her between itself and the cliff.

Seeing the way was clear, both Selphie and Squall used a doubled thunder, hitting X-ATM092 at the same time with both spells. Then the Thunder God appeared, causing Sylvia, Squall and Selphie to jump back to give the GF more room.

A giant storm cloud appeared over the communications tower, from which a huge bolt of lightning shot down. The thunder bolt hit the ground, and Quezacotl formed from the energy. He spun around, and when most of the electricity was absorbed by the giant bird, he stopped, spreading his wings. As soon as Quezacotl spotted the giant mechanical weapon, he gathered the energy inside of him at the tip of his head, seeing as he didn't actually have a beak or mouth. The thunder magic was released as a big dome of energy surrounding the 'Black Widow.' As the dome grew, the machine started to target the thunder bird, aiming with its Gatling gun. Before the 'Black Widow' could fire upon the GF, another bolt of thunder was released upon the machine from the top of the dome. As the attack was released, Quezacotl disappeared in one last thunder bolt.

The X-ATM092 screeched as the thunder magic released by the Thunder God shorted out its circuits. The Black Widow collapsed, its legs falling out from underneath its body. Zell, seeing this, turned to the others.

"Let's get the hell outta here!" he shouted at them. Squall nodded, then turned to start running. Selphie started after the brunet and Zell followed up. Sylvia looked back at the machine behind the group, shook her head, and took off after the rest of the SeeD cadets.

The group ran up the path and got to the cliff where Seifer had started spying on the G-soldiers. Selphie looked over and noticed something.

"Hey! Where'd it go?" she asked. Squall looked down where Selphie was pointing and saw that the X-ATM092 was gone.

"I don't know. Let's just focus on getting to the shore before the vessels leave," Squall replied, continuing down the path. Just as they started off, they heard a clanging on the path behind them. Everyone except Sylvia looked behind them and saw the Black Widow climbing the path behind them.

"C'mon! Hurry! Its gaining on us!" Zell kept up a running commentary as they hurried along the path, turning the bend and down the Cliffside path. Sylvia, who had gotten in the lead, slowed down to a quick walk.

"Sylvia! Hurry up!" Selphie shouted at the wolf. Her reply was a growl, but the wolf refused to pick the pace up. The giant machine clanged down the path, bearing down on the cadets.

"Sylvia…" Squall said, his voice was still cold, but held a hint of worry. He looked behind the group at the Black Widow. The wolf's growl cut off whatever he was about to say. He held up his hands.

"Ok, ok, ok," the brunet complied. He watched as Sylvia walked quickly down the path. He noticed that Zell and Selphie were getting edgy. Considering that there was a two-ton machine that was trying to kill them right behind the group, it wasn't that surprising.

Just when Squall thought the russet-color wolf would make them get crushed by the X-ATM092, she reached the bottom of the path and took off at a run. The group gladly followed, running and not sparing a glance behind them.

They reached the bridge, and were halfway across when the clanging stopped. Sylvia stopped running and looked ahead. The machine fell from the sky right in their path and started to come at them. Sylvia ran the opposite way, causing the others to look at each other in confusion. They stopped questioning Sylvia's logic when the Black Widow was almost on top of them.

The SeeD cadets ran the way they had just come, and to their surprise, the X-ATM092 jumped again, cutting them off. Sylvia turned again, running back towards the central square. This time the mechanical spider just chased them.

Squall took the lead again as Sylvia stopped to 'talk' to the stray dog who had been annoying Seifer earlier. The dog ran off and the wolf followed the rest of the SeeD cadets. The machine stopped at the square; the street was too small for it.

Zell, Selphie and Squall continued to run when Sylvia stopped momentarily to look at the mechanical spider. She continued to run when the spider tried to follow the cadets. Squall stopped outside the pub when the Squad C leader ran out.

"Squad C, withdraw!" he shouted. The other member of Squad C ran out behind the leader.

"Roger!" The two cadets ran to the shore, boarding their vessel. Squall continued to run, the other members of the cadets soon passing him as he started lagging behind. He had almost reached the arch and stairs that led to the beach when the X-ATM092 burst from between two buildings and chased the brunet.

The machine ran through the stone arch, shaking the ground and causing the swordsman to lose his balance. He fell on the sand with the persistent machine scanning the beach for any sign of its targets. Squall got up and started running, looking behind him at the giant G-army weapon that started chasing him.

The Black Widow spotted him and tried to jump down, falling into the sand. It collapsed, sand filling its guns and cannons. The machine got up, shaking some sand out of its system, and continued to chase its target.

Squall strained his legs to go faster, his muscles screaming at him to stop. Even so, the machine gained on him. He continued to run as fast as his body could, his breath coming heavy and shallow. He saw Zell waving him on, shouting at the brunet to hurry. Selphie was jumping up and down in her anxiousness. Sylvia was pawing at the vessel's floor, trying to contain her anxiousness.

Squall could feel the machine gaining on him, and he tried to go faster. He reached the edge of the ocean and jumped as the vessel started to pull out. He barely made it, his legs hung in the salty water. He tried to pull himself into the vessel, but he had exerted his body too far. Sylvia and Zell pulled him up as the brunet looked behind him at the beach.

The machine had tried to get Squall, when the machine gun attached to the top of the vessel came to life and punctured the X-ATM092's hard metal exoskeleton. The Black Widow changed its target from the boy in the vessel to the vessel itself, trying to climb on the vessel to destroy it.

The machine gun kept firing at the G-army weapon, hitting the main power source. Just as the hatch closed, the X-ATM092 exploded, scattering metal debris all over the beach.

Squall sat on the floor, panting, with Sylvia next to him, pawing at his hand. Zell and Selphie started talking about the adventure the exam had turned into. Quistis came down from the deck, Xu following close behind. Seifer was sitting in the same spot he had occupied during the briefing.

The instructor looked at the group gathered before her. Just as she started to talk, Sylvia whined, bringing everyone's attention to her.

* * *

_**Finally, a new chapter, right? Uh, yeah... sorry bout the late update. I've been sick, so I went to the doc's, where they drew some blood (let me tell you this, I HATE needles!) and put in an IV. Turns out I have mono... So I've been sleeping when I'm not in class. **__**To go along with mono, my family is in chaos right now... so, that's my excuse. What a sucky month...**_

_**Many thanks go out to aliasmidnight and the anonymous reviewer. You are my light in the dark that my life has turned into. (No, I'm not refering to drugs! my family can verify.)**_

_**To those whose review I deleted, too bad. I'M NOT GIVING THIS STORY UP! NEVER!**_

Fanfictions are just that: fictional stories based off of some book, TV show, game, movie, etc. written by fans. If they want to completely screw the plot, they'll completely screw the plot! For those of you who are "It's supposed to go like _this_" people, DON'T BE READING SOME OF THIS WEBSITE'S POSTINGS! God, some people don't have enough thought power to light a match, nor do they have any _meaning_ of the words "imagination" and "creativity" at all!

If you don't like a story, don't continue reading it just so you can throw some hopeful author/authoress's self-esteem on the ground, stomp on it, blow-torch it, tear it up, then throw it in the trash! You don't have any reason to write nasty little flames saying how horrible a story is, or how bad the grammar, characters, events, etc are! If you had ANY sense of self-worth, you would just close the page quietly and not make such a big fuss over it! In my mind, those who get on this cite just to destroy someone else's self-esteem are worse than those bastards that try to destroy the world in video-games! They are filthy, ego-destroying, mindless, rotten _worms_ that make themselves feel better about themselves at the expense of other people's self-worth. I know I asked you to be honest, but you didn't have to put it so frickin' bluntly!

_**Besides, this is my FIRST fanfic, and if I don't write, how will I better myself? God dammit, people! Do you flamers EVER use your brains?**_

_**...**_

_****__****__***cough, cough* sorry bout that. Uh, anyway... please review. Yeah, no Sylvia today. She's been rather quiet lately... Uh, so, I'm gonna go so I can lay down again. Till next time, adieu!**_


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I couldn't help the whimper that escaped my throat when I started to change the pain started. It started with my tail; it receded, then my legs and arms changed.

Squall realized what was going on, and told Xu to get an extra uniform. I noticed as Xu left, and I also noticed Selphie kneel beside me. She reached out to touch me, but I stopped her with a growl. I doubt I could keep myself from attacking if I were touched.

The fur that covered my body shortened, then disappeared all together. My bones shortened, lengthened, and twisted back to the 'normal' positions. As my bones settled, skin flowed over previously bare muscles. My hair grew back out, and finally my hands changed back.

I flexed my hands, working out the muscles, and I gasped with pain as a blanket covered me. Even the soft material that formed the cover sent needles of pain coursing through my body. That's the way it worked.

Xu came in carrying a uniform identical to Selphie's, complete with the yellow scarf. She also had my boots, socks, and belt. She gave these to Quistis as the instructor and the messenger girl led me to a private room so I could change.

As I passed the others, I noticed a deep red blush covering Zell's face as he averted his eyes. The same went for Seifer. Squall, however, had turned to face the wall.

As we entered the room, Selphie started bombarding me with questions.

"So you were a human the whole time? Why didn't anyone tell me? Did it hurt to morph? How come you were a wolf? When did it start? Will I be turned into a wolf? Why were you so big?" The girl would have continued, if it wasn't for Quistis interrupting.

"Excuse me, but I don't think Sylvia would like to talk right now," she told the hyper-active brunette. Both the SeeD cadet and the SeeD member looked at me. I was sitting on the floor, trying to ignore the pain that shot through my system every time I touched anything.

"Sorry. Hey! You use a gunblade too? Awesome! Wow, this one is light! Did Squall teach you? Or did Seifer? Did you teach yourself?" I laughed, my voice coming out as a croak.

"Yes, I use a gunblade, it's light because I couldn't use it if it was any heavier, I didn't teach myself, and Seifer didn't teach me. Squall is giving me lessons when we have time." I got up, the pain receding, and started to clothe myself. Selphie brushed out my hair and did it up in a little braided bun. She only used the upper part of my hair, so that a sheet of my hair hung down my back. She also left out part of my bangs so that they would hang in front of my face.

As we walked out, Selphie started to ask me all sorts of questions, from "How old are you?" (16, my birthday is next week) to "What's your favorite animal?" (wolf and tiger), as well as my favorite fruit (strawberries), color (red, blue, black, and silver), ice cream flavor (chocolate and rocky road), and many others.

The girl kept her interrogation up even after we reached the strategy room. She only stopped when Quistis and Xu started to ask what happened.

I let Zell, Seifer, and Squall replay the events, only butting in to correct some facts, like how we got to the square. Selphie then told her story, up until the cliff where we met.

"I see. Seifer?" Quistis asked. The blonde swordsman looked up at his name. "Why did you leave your squad behind? You are the squad leader, it was your job to make sure that something like this didn't happen. As a leader, you were supposed to lead your squad, not abandon them," the instructor scolded. The blonde just shrugged his shoulders.

"They were too slow. They didn't keep up with me, so they were left behind," Seifer stated.

"Only because you got on the lift before us," Squall muttered.

"See? Too slow." I tried to ignore the blonde, knowing if I lost my anger, Seifer probably wouldn't make it out of the vessel alive.

"Whatever," the brunet growled.

"Knock it off!" Xu commanded. "I have some questions. Quistis already voiced the main one, so, Sylvia?" I looked up from my gunblade that I was cleaning. I know there wasn't any reason to, but it gave me something to focus on.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Why didn't you tell anyone you would change into a wolf?" Xu voiced the thought that was probably coursing through everyone's head. I thought about my answer carefully.

"Well," I began. "Um…I guess it just didn't occur to me. I've been a werewolf since I was, what, 7? I just grew used to not telling anyone but my pack back home. Besides, there's an unspoken rule that no one is to know that there are werewolves. At least, at my home." I looked at Quistis and Squall, the only two present who knew my secret. They nodded.

"Um, what do you want to know?" I asked. Just as Selphie, Xu, Squall, and everyone opened their mouths to ask some question, I interrupted. "Wait, I think Headmaster Cid should be present so he knows, too." Xu nodded in agreement, then Quistis voiced one of her thoughts.

"Well, having a werewolf as a SeeD member might have its advantages…" she started.

"Like what? Being torn to shreds because you made her mad? No thank you! Been there, done that, don't wanna go back!" Seifer interrupted.

"Well, you deserved it," I growled at him. "If you hadn't been calling me 'mutt' through the exam, I probably wouldn't have attacked you. Besides, I wasn't myself, and you ran up behind me." I glared at the blonde, who looked angered.

"Enough, please! Don't fight," Selphie begged. I sighed and relented.

"Anyway, being a werewolf does have its advantages. I have really good hearing, unless there is a loud noise, like a chainsaw, or something to that effect. I also have a great sense of smell." I paused, smelling the air quickly. "Xu, you've been in the kitchen recently." She looked shocked. "You made a…salad, with blue cheese dressing." She nodded, her eyes wide. Seifer snorted, drawing the attention of the room's occupants.

"I don't see what's so great about that. I think it'd suck," the blonde said. I smiled widely, seeing a chance to use another of my abilities.

"You're lying," I stated simply.

"No I'm not. It sounds really dull," he retorted.

"No, you are lying. I can smell it." I tapped my nose to prove it.

"Whatever. No one can smell a lie." The swordsman crossed his arms.

"Anyway, like I said, I have really good hearing and smell, and I'm really strong, and fast as well."

"How strong is 'really strong?'" Zell asked. I tapped my chin in thought.

"Um…hmmmm…" I pondered how to show just how strong I was.

"Can you bend this pipe?" Selphie asked suddenly, procuring an adamantium pipe from somewhere. I looked at the pipe, then nodded.

"Lemme see it," I said. The brunette tossed the pipe to me, and I caught it. I pondered a bit how I would bend it. Once I found an idea, I started to work on the pipe. Everyone, except Seifer, watched as I bent the pipe over and over, shaping it.

When I finished, I showed the creation to everyone. The original pipe had been about 15 inches long, and every bit had been used to make the object in my hands. In the palm on my hand sat a perfect model of a chocobo.

"Oh me gosh! So cute!" Selphie squealed. She grabbed it gingerly, holding it with the utmost care.

"Don't worry about breaking it, Selphie. It's made of the strongest metal, so it won't break easily," I told her. At that, Zell grabbed the little fragile-looking metal bird and tried to bend it, break it, or otherwise 'harm' it, all to no avail.

"Wow! How did you manage to do that?" Zell asked. I shrugged.

"Eh, well, I did say I'm strong…" I trailed off.

"So, what's the downside?" I looked up at Quistis, confused. "Well, the way you are talking, there's gotta be a downside." I sighed, remembering all of the things that I was told I couldn't do, or wouldn't be able to do.

"Well, eh, every full moon I change, and have a need for the hunt. Whenever I change, I have this extreme pain that lasts for a bit after, and it hurts to change. Also, whenever I'm a wolf, I crave meat whenever I smell blood…I'm afraid I'll attack my teammates when I'm a wolf. I don't have full control over myself when I'm a wolf. I can't have kids. And, before I came here, I already had two consciences, but with the GF's I have more than that. I've never really known any life other than that of a werewolf either…" I trailed off, saddened. Thinking about my home in Chicago, Illinois made me sad.

"Hey, Sylvia? You ok?" Zell and Selphie came over to me as I brought my knees up and hugged them. Selphie sat down next to me, Zell sat next to her. I looked at the two teens who were so worried about me, even though we had hardly known each other for more than a few hours.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I put my chin on my knees, trying to contain myself.

"Hey, we're almost back to Balamb. I'd be getting ready, if I were you," Xu said. Then she turned around and left the room.

"Hehehe…" Seifer chuckled.

"What're you laughing at?" Zell asked. His tone said 'I mean business.'

"Nothing… Just didn't expect that mutt to be such a softie," he said nonchalantly, chuckling again. I growled, mad at the blonde swordsman for calling me a mutt again and for laughing at me.

"Hey, um, Sylvia? Did your eyes change color?" I glanced at the brunette beside me, then turned the full power of my glare on the blonde who insisted on taunting me.

"Yeah, if they're gold," I muttered. I noticed Selphie nod out of the corner of my eye. I raised my voice so Seifer could hear.

"Stop calling me 'mutt,'" I growled.

"Aww, does the little mutt have a temper?" Seifer taunted, chuckling again.

"Yes, she does. And 'the little mutt' has the strength to back it up," I retorted.

"Enough! You two are worse than siblings!" Quistis ordered.

"Fine." I turned away from Seifer, still hugging my knees.

"We'll be landing in a few minutes." Squall said. I looked up to see the brunet swordsman walking down from the deck. I didn't even notice when he left.

"Ok," I said.

* * *

The vessel reached the Balamb Docks within five minutes of when Squall announced it. As everyone got off, Fujin and Raijin met up with Seifer.

"How'd it go?" Raijin asked. Seifer exaggerated a sigh.

"Man… All they did was get in my way. Being a leader ain't easy!" the leader of the Disciplinary Committee said loudly. Zell shook his fists in anger at Seifer's retreating back.

"SAFE?" Fujin asked. Seifer gave the one-eyed girl a look that said "no duh." The committee walked off, discussing things like what to do to kids who broke curfew.

"Good job!" Everyone looked behind at the vessel, where Quistis emerged. She looked around. "Where's Seifer?" Squall looks at the parking lot and points at the car. Quistis' expression was one that said "oh well."

"Just be back at the Garden by sundown. You're free 'til then. Ok, dismissed!" The group started walking to the parking lot when the yellow Garden car sped out of the lot.

"H-Hey!" Zell shouted. He ran after the car, then stopped, slumped over and arms hanging down. "There goes Mr. Ego…" Squall, who watched the incident without a comment, crossed his arms.

"Might as well walk it," he replied.

"Yay! I might get a chance to use my gunblade!" Sylvia shouted enthusiastically. Squall shook his head. One moment the girl was quiet and upset, the next she was shouting and jumping around. That kid was almost as bad as Zell and Selphie.

Squall led the group into town. Sylvia was running to every shop's window, looking inside to look at the merchandise. In front of the junk shop, Zell was stopped by a man sitting on a bench.

"Hey, Zell! How ya doin?" the man asked. Zell looked at him and crossed one leg while leaning his shoulder on an imaginary wall.

"Hey, you know me, I'm always fine!" the blonde said.

"Well, that's good. Stayin outta trouble, I hope? Anyway, you should stop by and say 'Hi' to your mom." Zell looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Yeah, I think I'll do that." The fighter turned to the rest of the group. "C'mon, my house's this way," he said, leading the way down the street and into a door.

"Ma, I'm home!" he yelled once he stepped over the threshold.

"Zell! What a surprise! Oh, are these your friends?" Ma Dincht asked once she stepped out of the little kitchen. Zell nodded enthusiastically at his mom, and introduced each member of the group. Once introductions were finished, the blonde turned around to face everyone.

"This is my house, but don't make yourselves too comfortable!" he warned, glaring at the group.

"Fine. Don't blame me when I make myself comfortable!" Sylvia joked, causing Ma Dincht, Selphie, and Zell to laugh. Squall just stood there, arms crossed, shaking his head.

Sylvia went into the small room connected to the living room while Selphie started to go up the stairs. The brunette was soon intercepted by Zell.

"Yo! That's my room up there! It's sacred! So just keep out!" the martial artist shouted.

"Ok, ok, ok! Don't bite my head off! That's Sylvia's job!" Selphie said jokingly.

"Yup! I'll do it to anyone who annoys me, like Seifer!" the auburn-haired girl threatened, then smiled and disproved her statement.

"Ok, you've seen my house. Can we go now?" Zell asked. Squall looked at the two girls who were doubled over with laughter at something they said.

"C'mon. We're leaving," Squall ordered. Sylvia held up a hand as she laughed harder, clutching her stomach tightly with the other one. The brunet sighed and tapped his foot impatiently.

"Ok! I'm good!" the werewolf girl said once she stopped laughing and caught her breath. "Let's go! I wanna see the junk shop!" she said, running out of the Dincht house.

"You sure have some interesting friends," Ma Dincht said, watching the pretty young lady run to the shop. She was taller than Zell by an inch or so, but shorted than Squall. Her braided bun bounced as she ran, the rest of her hair flying in a sheet of auburn behind her.

"You should see her when she just finished an energy drink," Squall muttered. "The second day I met her, she dragged me to the cafeteria. She got a Creature, and the whole day she couldn't sit still. She even ran into the training center without her gunblade…"

"She sounds a lot like Zell, but also a lot worse." Ma Dincht had a thoughtful look on her face.

"Well, she does stay cool under pressure!" Selphie said. "C'mon, they're waiting for us!" the brunette said as she pulled on Squall's sleeve, tugging him to the junk shop.

Zell and Sylvia were already inside, looking at the weapons.

"Hey! Look at these ones!" Sylvia said pointing to a pair of katanas.

"Eh, I think the broad sword over there is better," Zell replied, pointing to a giant broadsword.

"Oooohhhhh! Look at this staff!" the auburn-haired girl exclaimed. She ran up to a beautiful staff that was made for fighting. It was collapsible, going from a 12 foot staff to a 6 inch piece of metal. It was completely made of strong metal; the whole staff was engraved with depictions of different GF's.

She grabbed it, weighing it in her hands, then practiced a few moves on a dummy.

"Well, seems you've found the weapon you were meant for," the store clerk came over and watched her unleash a devastating string of attacks.

"Really?" Sylvia looked at the aging man with a light in her eyes.

"Yup. The way the staff fits in your hands, and the fact you used it so fluidly, I'd wager that the staff was made for you." He looked over the girl holding the staff with a critical eye.

"Flexible, light build, not too much muscle, long arms and legs. Over all, the perfect build to wield the Krasner. The gunblade you wield now is too unbalanced for you to use properly, am I right?" he asked. Sylvia nodded.

"Seems to me the Krasner has found its proper wielder. So many people come in here and try it, but no one just fits it like you. It was crafted from metal that came from space during the Centrans rule, made by a sorceress for a queen. She used Krasner to defeat many monsters that threatened her rule. She was the last ruler of the Centrans, and fought off the waves of monsters from the Lunar Cry. She was ultimately killed, but Krasner survived. Over the years, it has been the weapon that has been used by many good rulers. Never has it found its way into the hands of those with evil in their hearts." The clerk seemed to realize he was rambling, for he suddenly stopped.

"I'm sorry. The ramblings of an aging man are of no concern to the young. Would you like to buy Krasner?" Sylvia thought about it, then nodded.

"How much would it be?" she asked. Squall watched quietly as she pulled out the required Gil, then sold her gunblade and sheath. The clerk also threw in a specially made grip for Krasner and a book, entitled _The Krasner's History_, for free.

"Thank you! Have a good day!" Sylvia called over her shoulder as she pulled Zell from the gloves and out of the store.

"Hey Squall! How long've you been standing there?" the girl asked as she kept Zell from going back in the store.

"Since you spotted the staff," he replied simply. "C'mon, it's getting late." Sylvia followed Squall and Selphie, who bought a new nunchaku, followed behind Zell, who was still being dragged by Sylvia.

"See you later, Zell!" Ma Dincht called out as the SeeD cadets passed the house.

"See ya, Ma!" he called back. "Can you let go of my arm now? Your crushing my wrist!" he told Sylvia.

"Sorry!" the girl said as she let go of the martial artist's wrist. She took out Krasner and extended it.

"Pretty staff! Why'd you trade in your gunblade though?" Selphie asked.

"Krasner is more comfortable for me to wield," Sylvia answered, shrugging her shoulders.

* * *

As the group got to the plains, everyone took out their weapons in case a monster attacked. Their preparation was not wasted, because as soon as they got a safe distance away from the town, they were attacked by a bunch of Glacial Eyes.

"Wow, these things are ugly!" Sylvia remarked as she shoved Krasner through one of the monster's brains.

"There are even uglier ones in Trabia!" Selphie said. Her new nunchakus quickly dispatched two of the Glacial Eyes, while Squall and his Revolver took down another three in one swipe. Zell and his Gauntlets took down a few, and Krasner took the rest. Sylvia twirled her new staff around before retracting it. She kept it at the ready, should any more monsters decide to try and make a meal of the small group.

"So, Sylvia, how'd you enjoy the exam?" Zell asked, walking beside her. Squall walked a ways in front of them, and Selphie quickly caught up to walk beside Sylvia as well.

"Um, it was a lot more intense than I thought it would be. I…uunhh…" Squall looked back at the groan and Selphie's worried "Sylvia, are you ok?"

Sylvia was laying on the ground, clutching her head. Her eyes were fluttering, and she instinctively curled up into a fetal position. Squall was at the copper-haired girl's side in moments, with Selphie and Zell on Sylvia's other side.

"Sylvia?" Squall asked. There was no reply. "Sylvia!" the brunet shook her shoulder roughly. The only response was a groan, and Sylvia's eyelids fluttered open, looking directly into Squall's before they closed again. Zell and Selphie called out for Sylvia again, but there was no answer.

Squall gathered the girl in his arms (for the second time that week) and took off toward the Garden, and thus, the infirmary, leaving the other two cadets to catch up.

* * *

_Ok, this chapter SUCKS! I'm still working hard, though. Unfortunately, Sylvia hasn't been a very good muse. I try and try, but nothing I write comes out good... Maybe I'm just too tired...? Eh, well, I'm still working on this._

_A big "Thank you" is in order for those who have reviewed, added me to their fav author list, added this story to their fav story list, or put me/this story on their alert list! Glad to know people actually read this. Please, keep reading/reviewing! I hope that I'm not entertaining an empty stadium..._

_Well, i have to go. Please, read, review, and, for crying out loud, SOMEONE TELL ME WHERE SYLVIA WENT? (why does she do this when i just put in a twist? i need her now more than ever, and she deserts me!)_


	10. Sorry

Dear Readers;

I'm sorry, but the story isn't coming along how I would like it to. I will be discontinuing The Wolf and the Lion, unless I get at least 10 reviews telling me not to. I will, however, continue writing. I will be writing another FF8 story (other than 'What if the Knight of Balamb…Wait, What?') and posting it a few months from now.

I lost my muse, and even though she's back, I haven't had any inspiration. Besides, the story is not working out the way I want it to... I have been having a rough time lately, too. It isn't too great having mono, then not sleeping well, and having EOC's, and trying to do fundraisers for school, and still having the instructors pile on the work load. Maybe this weekend, I'll actually have some down-time... Not likely.

So, an advanced apology: To anyone who liked this story, and wanted me to keep writing it (because I'm certain I won't have at least 10 reviews... There's my level of self-esteem if you were wondering.), Sorry, but I'm almost positive this story is gonna go in the 'DISCONTINUED' stories. Keep an eye out for any stories I may release. Sylvia will be a character in one.

To anyone who didn't want this story continued: If i do get at least 10 reviews, sorry, this story is continuing. I don't think it'll make it though.

I already have ideas for my next Sylvia-based fanfic. She won't be a werewolf, because it is too difficult and there's alot of things I have have to write around. Sorry...

For anyone hoping for another chapter, sorry. This is a warning note. I'll go now. Hope for the best? Maybe I'll just keep the title, but delete the chapters, updating the old first one and working from there, deleting the prologue too. To be honest, I seriously think the prologue sucked.

so long for now. I will update The Knight of Balamb once the chapter is complete.

Risika Kiisu Fenrir (aka: sarahleonhart.)

_Sorry for failing you guys. I had to take a break, so I left. Didn't even think about how her writing would be affected..._  
_Love,_  
_Sylvia, the muse_


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